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Red · Reserve · Medium-sweet

Martínez Lacuesta Vermut Reserva

Bodegas Martínez Lacuesta

Haro , España

7.1 /10

Vermutpedia Score: 7.1/10

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Overall impression

Vermut Lacuesta Reserva en Roble is the milestone that in 2005 made Martínez Lacuesta a pioneer of barrel-aged vermouth in Spain: the first Reserva vermouth on the market, according to the winery itself. In 2004 Luis Martínez-Lacuesta decided to age vermouth in barrel as if it were a guarda wine; after tastings with Pedro Puras at the Haro Enological Station, seven months of ageing in medium-toast Allier French oak proved the perfect measure. To the traditional artisan production system — starting from white wine and the Conzia formula of up to twenty-four plants and aromatic herbs — was added that brief ageing period that dignifies vermouth and breaks the prejudice that it is made from the worst wines. Bitter, aromatic vermouth, intense in colour, with roasted undertones and a flavour that recalls traditional vermouth. For Vermutpedia, it represents the foundational Rioja reserve vermouth: seven months, Allier, Conzia and a revolution that inspired the Spanish vermouth renaissance.

Nose and palate

The martinezlacuesta.com sheet describes a bitter, aromatic vermouth, intense in colour, with roasted undertones and a peculiar flavour that evokes traditional vermouth. Seven months of ageing in new Allier French-oak barrels with medium toast adds toasted nuances, unexpected aromatic depth and elegance the winery confirmed in February 2005. The Conzia formula — twenty-four botanicals of diverse origin, cold-macerated according to the artisan process — integrates with the wood without oxidising the product: the vermouth was refined, not deteriorated. On the palate, semisweet sweet-bitter balance with barrel roundness, broad texture and persistent finish in roasted and herbal register. Compared with Conzia (twelve months, American and French oak) or Edición Limitada (fourteen months, six select casks), Reserva en Roble offers a more direct, bitter profile, with shorter but equally distinctive ageing. A vermouth for palates seeking Allier toast and Lacuesta tradition since 1937.

How to serve it

Martínez Lacuesta positions Reserva en Roble as pioneering vermouth for a new aperitif: cold with a slice of orange and olive, or in Negroni and Manhattan with a Rioja profile where aromatic bitterness and roasted undertones add character without dominating gin or bitter. It does not need soda or siphon to be drinkable — the winery designed this Reserva precisely to break that belief. Also in a very cold cocktail glass for slow tasting that appreciates the seven months in barrel. Pairs with aged cheeses, Rioja charcuterie and bar tapas. Temperature between 6 and 8 °C; avoid excess ice that would dilute toasted complexity. Presentation in cylindrical canister-style case and «Cuban Bordeaux» bottle the winery introduced in 2005 as an aesthetic break in the vermouth market. For occasions where vermouth is protagonist, not diluted accompaniment.

Production context

Bodegas Martínez Lacuesta makes Vermut Reserva in Haro (La Rioja), since 1937 with the Conzia formula of twenty-four plants on white wine. Seven months of ageing in new Allier French-oak barrels with medium toast — experiment begun in July 2004 with casks donated by Gangutia (Cenicero) and Guillermo (Oyón) cooperages. First 600 bottles sold in two weeks; 4,436 bottles in 2005. 15% vol., 75 cl., contains sulphites. Specific vermouth production space separate from the DOCa Rioja winery. Current range: Blanco, Extra Seco, Rojo, Conzia, Reserva en Roble, Edición Limitada, Reserva Acacia. For Vermutpedia, Reserva en Roble synthesises historic Rioja vermouth: 2005 pioneer, seven months in Allier, integrated Conzia and verifiable narrative at martinezlacuesta.com.

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