Tuesday the peloton will go back to work, easing into a week of vicious climbs along the Cantabrian Coast in the north of Spain. As you can see from the profile map, Stage 10 looks much like the previous few stages: lots of ups and downs, with a 10km Category 1 ascent to the finish. It will be the least terrible stage in a series of leg-breaking days, the worst of which will occur Friday, when they’ll reckon with the famous Angliru.

As things wrapped up on Sunday, Torstein Traeen of Team Bahrain-Victorious remained in the red jersey, with Jonas Vingegaard 2’33” behind. Team Visma-Lease a Bike may “allow” Traeen to keep the lead for another few days, relieving Vingegaard of post-race duties that do suck up a lot of time. No one expects the largesse to continue through the weekend, when the men in yellow and black will reassert their dominance over the peloton.

Here’s a reminder of what transpired in Stage 9 on Sunday:

Vuelta Vaso de Vino Recommendation: 2020 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Reserva ($35.99; 14% abv)

As the property’s flagship wine, this is a lovely blend of Tempranillo (82%), Graciano (8%), Mazuelo (7%), and Garnacha (3%) sourced from the Ygay Estate: 300 hectares of vineyards surrounding the winery in the southernmost point of Rioja Alta on calcareous-clay soils. Altitude ranges from 320 to 485 meters above sea level. The wine was aged in 225-liter American oak barrels for 26 months.

Tasting Note

Medium ruby color, with flashes of violet at the edge. Fragrant nose with notes of blackberry, plum, and cherry; distinct floral aromas (violet; dried rose petal). As it opens, there is a touch of molasses and leather. On the palate the wine is quite tangy with acidity, a nice balance to the ripe fruit. As with the nose, there is a mix of red and black fruit, plus subtle vanilla spice and licorice. The finish lingers, with notes of cocoa powder and coffee. The tannins are silky smooth, making this a real pleasure to drink. I loved the structural balance of this wine: it was lush and expressive yet fresh. Left me thinking (once again): Why the heck don’t I drink more Rioja?

I originally tried the wines of Marqués de Murrieta about 15 years ago, when I first moved to South Florida. Wine Watch, one of the premier wine shops/event spaces in the area, held a vertical tasting – some of the wines were from vintages in the 1920s! I searched desperately for my notes from that night to no avail. (Probably lost in transition: I’ve moved twice since that tasting!) But the memories linger – and prompt me to get back on the Rioja bandwagon.

Pairing

Seared king salmon seasoned with salt, pepper, brown sugar, and tajín; and fresh corn on the cob from a local farm. As I’m getting reacquainted with Rioja, I’m also rethinking traditional pairings for it. Red wine with fish? I say yes, absolutely!

Cheers to a new week of mountaintop finishes, fabulous wines, and drama in the peloton! More tomorrow on what to expect from Stage 11 and which wine to sip as you watch.