Why it matters
The producer
At Grávalos, Bodegas Escudero farms 173 hectares under vine and produces 166,600 nine liter cases each year. That vineyard area and annual volume support several bottles under the Solar de Becquer name, rather than one fixed recipe. Solar de Becquer is a red Rioja collection with several grape varieties and ageing categories. Winemaker Amador leads operations after training in Bordeaux. Its wines are shaped by both the ingredients of the blend and the time they spend maturing.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Grávalos is the home of Bodegas Escudero in La Rioja. Cuesta la Reina is a hillside facing the sun with poor soils cultivated across four generations, and the Reserva draws from this site. Direct sunlight supports ripening, while poor soils can limit vine vigor and reduce leafy growth. These conditions can lead to more concentrated flavor before the grapes reach the cellar. The place enters the wine through exposure and ground before yeast, maceration, and oak shape its later stages.
Wines to know
The range in view
Solar de Becquer is a red collection from Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano, presented as Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. The three names are ageing categories, so the range moves through different amounts of time before release. For the standard Crianza and Reserva, the blend is 70% Tempranillo, 20% Mazuelo, and 10% Garnacha. Graciano extends the wider collection beyond that standard three grape formula.
Fermentation takes place in stainless steel with native yeasts, meaning yeasts from the vineyard rather than a commercial culture, followed by at least 10 days of maceration. Stainless steel keeps the fermentation vessel neutral, while maceration draws color and tannin from grape skins. The wine then matures for 14 months in American oak and stays in bottle for at least 6 months before release. American oak can bring vanilla and sweet spice, while barrel and bottle time can soften tannin and integrate those flavors into a softer texture.