Bodegas Marco Real, Navarra Reserva “Homenaje” For Sale

Bodegas Marco Real, Navarra Reserva “Homenaje”

The grand bodegas of Rioja continue to supply the world with some of the very best values in aged red wine. Like the greatest châteaux of Bordeaux, which they’ve always strived to emulate, the best Rioja producers have extensive libraries—the only difference being how attractive the prices are for decades-old Rioja bottlings. As for next-door Navarra, which is essentially an extension of Rioja without the name recognition, the price/value equation progresses from attractive to mind-blowing. Courtesy of a well-connected US importer and a savvy private collector in Spain, we were given access to some hidden treasures to share with you today. 

Later, we’ll roll out a Rioja from this same (excellent) vintage, 1995, but first, let’s give Navarra its due: This Tempranillo-Garnacha blend from Bodegas Marco Real is as sumptuous, savory, and thrillingly alive as anything to be found in Rioja, but at a fraction of the price. The best way I can describe it is thusly: To be able to drink a nearly 30-year-old bottle of perfectly stored red wine, at this price, is a triumph. We jumped at the opportunity, and you should, too: Up to three bottles per person until our small stash is gone!

Upon tasting today’s ’95 from Marco Real, I was reminded that this isn’t the first time we’ve gone deep on Navarra: some subscribers may remember a spectacular 1997 Tinto Reserva from Bodegas Viña Magaña, which was so well-received we offered it twice. Marco Real is, like Viña Magaña, a winery with a long history in the region—an undiscovered gem sitting on a trove of heirloom vineyards. The Belasco family, which goes back eight generations in Navarra, acquired the Marco Real property in 1992, adding it to their Grupo La Navarra portfolio, whose base of operations is the town of Viana—right across the Ebro River from the Riojan town of Logroño. Look at a wine map and you can see how Navarra is essentially an extension of Rioja, with vineyards that stretch north and east toward the Pyrenees Mountains.

The proximity of Navarra/Rioja to France, and Bordeaux especially, is worth a mention, as the two regions have had a kind of enological exchange program in place for centuries. Educational pilgrimages to Bordeaux were commonplace among Rioja/Navarra winemakers in the 18th and 19th centuries, and perhaps the biggest takeaway for Spanish winemakers in that period was the use of oak barrels for aging. Later on, when the phylloxera louse decimated Bordeaux’s vineyards, the Bordelais looked to Rioja and Navarra for grapes and wine to keep them going while they re-planted their vineyards (for a deep dive on the history of the relationship, check out this excellent piece by Quentin Sadler).

Exact percentages were not available, but Marco Real’s 1995 “Homenaje” (meaning “homage,” or “tribute”) is driven by Tempranillo supported by a smaller percentage of Grenache (Garnacha). It was aged 18-24 months in French oak, and, prior to being shipped to us, was in the same private cellar since its initial release. In the glass, the wine displays a deep color given its advanced age, with only slight bricking at the rim, and it is assertively savory and earthy when it is first opened. I’d suggest standing the bottle upright a day or two before you decide to serve it, then proceeding with caution when pulling the cork (an ah-so or Durand opener might be good to have on hand). As the wine takes on air in the glass, the dark fruit and warm spice components emerge. The wine is concentrated, with a brandied-cherry viscosity and some remaining vestiges of its once-powerful tannic structure; there’s quite a lot of contemplation here. I’d suggest pairing it with a meaty braise incorporating mushrooms to highlight the wine’s savory side. Cheers!