Why it matters
The producer
Bodegas Martínez Palacios sits in Ollauri, a small village in Rioja Alta that sits roughly between Haro and Logroño along the Oja river valley. The operation is compact: a focused range, estate-grown fruit, and an underground cellar cut to hold 1,000 barrels beneath the working winery. That cellar is not incidental. It is the physical expression of an approach to Rioja that prizes slow, stable oak ageing over volume or speed.
The winery grows four varieties: Tempranillo and Graciano for its red wines, and Viura and Malvasía in the vineyard alongside them. The range runs to two confirmed bottles, both red, both Tempranillo-led. Everything produced here comes from the estate's own vines.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Ollauri belongs to Rioja Alta, the western sub-zone of the Rioja DOCa appellation. Rioja Alta has a continental climate with Atlantic influence: warm, dry summers, cold winters, and enough rain from the west to moderate ripeness. The Oja valley moderates temperatures further. Soils in this part of Rioja Alta tend toward clay-limestone, which retains moisture in dry years and gives Tempranillo the conditions to ripen steadily rather than quickly.
Rioja DOCa is the overarching appellation that appears on both bottles. The Crianza and Reserva designations on the label are legally defined ageing categories within the appellation: Crianza requires a minimum of one year in oak and one year in bottle; Reserva requires at least one year in oak and two years total ageing. Martínez Palacios exceeds the minimum in both cases, with the Crianza aged 14 months in oak and the Reserva aged 24 months.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Tempranillo, Graciano, Viura, and Malvasía are all estate-grown. The Crianza is fermented at a maximum of 30°C with a three-day maceration followed by a seven-day ferment. The controlled fermentation temperature preserves the fresh red-fruit character in the finished wine: higher temperatures during fermentation extract more tannin and darker colour but can strip aromatics. At 30°C maximum, the Crianza holds its lighter, peppery fruit profile while developing enough body for 14 months in oak.
The Reserva spends 24 months in barrel. The Graciano and Mazuelo together make up 10% of the blend. Ten percent of the blend carries significant influence on the wine's ageing arc, lengthening the finish and broadening the tannin frame around the Tempranillo.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range is built on two tiers.
The Crianza is 100% Tempranillo, oak-aged for 14 months. It presents cherry-red in the glass with a violet rim. The nose opens on red fruit, notably cherry and fresh berry, with black pepper as a secondary note. In the mouth it has good intensity, bright acidity, and a long finish that closes with a liquorice memory. The wine is built for relatively early drinking but has enough acidity and body to hold for several years.