2021 Sierra Cantabria Mágico Magnum

The 2021 Sierra Cantabria Mágico Magnum is one of Rioja’s rarest treasures, with just 50 magnums produced from a single, pre-phylloxera vineyard in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. This field blend of ancient red and white grape varieties is a pure expression of place, family heritage, and traditional Rioja craftsmanship. In Mágico, the Eguren family has distilled generations of know-how into a collector-worthy wine that sits at the very top of their portfolio.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2021 Sierra Cantabria Mágico shows a vivid, fresh cherry-red hue with brilliant clarity and a finely textured rim that hints at both concentration and finesse. The nose is layered and complex: ripe blueberries and red cherries mingle with notes of tobacco leaf, cedar, graphite, and subtle mineral tones, wrapped in delicate toasty and smoky nuances from new French oak. As the wine opens, floral hints and a touch of dried herbs emerge, adding further dimension. On the palate, Mágico is intense yet remarkably refined, with a silky, velvet-like texture that glides across the mouth. The Tempranillo and Garnacha core offers pure red and blue fruit, while Graciano and the minority red and white varieties contribute lift, spice, and a striking sense of freshness. There is a fine-grained tannic backbone, superbly integrated with vibrant acidity, giving the wine precision and length. Smoky and gently roasted notes from the oak frame the fruit without dominating, leading into a very long, persistent finish. This magnum format will age beautifully for 15–25 years or more under good cellaring conditions, gaining further complexity and tertiary aromas over time.

Production
Mágico comes from the tiny, 1.18-hectare El Vardallo (Las Sepulturas) vineyard in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, an exceptional plot that survived the phylloxera crisis and still hosts vines over 150 years old. It is a traditional, mixed planting that includes around 65% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 2.5% Graciano, 1% Petit Bouschet, 1.1% other red varieties, plus approximately 4.4% Calagraño, 3.2% Turruntés (Rioja), and 2.8% Viura. The soils are sandy loam with low organic matter, underpinned by a cap of iron- and limestone-rich clay that aids water retention, with the mother rock present at similar depth. The climate is continental with Atlantic influences, moderated by the Sierra Cantabria mountain range. Vineyard work is entirely manual, including horse ploughing, and follows biodynamic principles with natural fertilisation every two years to preserve soil life. In the winery, all grapes are destemmed and rigorously hand-sorted. All varieties except Garnacha are lightly crushed and macerated in small wooden vats, while Garnacha is fermented and macerated separately in wood. Maceration lasts about 21 days for the main blend and 15 days for Garnacha. Malolactic fermentation takes place in new French oak barriques: the blended varieties in one 500 L and four 225 L barrels, and Garnacha in a single 500 L barrel, ensuring careful integration of oak and preserving the vineyard’s character.

Food & Serving
This is a gastronomic Rioja that shines with refined dishes such as roast lamb, slow-braised beef cheeks, pigeon or duck, and well-marbled cuts of steak. It also pairs beautifully with game birds, truffled dishes, wild mushrooms, and aged hard cheeses like Manchego or Comté. Serve at 16–18°C (60–64°F) to highlight its aromatic complexity and elegant structure. Given the youth and concentration of the 2021 vintage—especially in magnum—decanting for 2–3 hours is strongly recommended if enjoyed in the next decade; shorter decanting (1–1.5 hours) will suffice as it evolves with age.

Producer
Sierra Cantabria is part of the renowned Eguren family of Rioja, one of Spain’s most respected wine dynasties, celebrated for their work in crafting terroir-driven, single-vineyard wines. Based in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, they have played a key role in elevating Rioja’s reputation for premium, site-expressive reds and are also the family behind icons such as Teso La Monja in Toro. Their meticulous vineyard work, low yields, and thoughtful use of oak have earned them global acclaim, including being named “Winemaker of the Year 2012” by Wine Enthusiast for Hermanos Eguren. Mágico represents the pinnacle of their Rioja vision: a micro-production, old-vine field blend that captures the history, culture, and singular terroir of one of the region’s most extraordinary vineyards.

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