Check out Eric Asimov's latest article "Gentle Soul in a World of Bold Fruit" in The New York Times to learn about two very different styles of Rioja--the traditional Gran Reservas which he describes as "smooth, pale, harmonious" versus the newer, fruitier (and often pricier) types of Rioja that now dominate the market.
Personally, I much prefer the old Gran Reservas, which seem to be finally coming back into fashion.
Finding a good Rioja at a good price is no longer as easy as it once was. Sure, there are still plenty of young Riojas, both red and white, most of which are pleasant and inexpensive, but there's usually nothing special about them.
Move up to the Crianza category (red wines aged a minimum of 1 year in oak, 2 years total) and especially the Reserva (aged 1 year in oak, three years total), and the prices quickly spiral upward. And many of these Riojas aren't outstanding, at least not for the price. For special occasions we have splurged on expensive (for us) Muga and other prestigious brands of Rioja, and while not exactly disappointed with them, they were far from bargains. They were really nothing compared to some of the Riojas we enjoyed twelve or fifteen years ago in Spain for a small fraction of the price.
Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva 2004 is an exception. It has the classic Rioja taste--the fresh acidity wine writers often compare to strawberries combined with the earthy, toasted flavors of oak (Marqués de Riscal ages its Rioja reserva in American oak two years). And you can still often find it for less than $20.
Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva is made from 90% Tempranillo--a very versatile grape used to make an incredible range of wines in Spain, from rather coarse and rough Castilian reds to powerful but refined Toros. In body, color, and complexity, Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva resembles a good pinot noir (though it's different).
As this is a fairly serious wine, we usually save it for meals especially well suited to it. It's great with many Spanish preparations of venison. It would also go extremely well with duck, grilled beef and especially lamb.
Marqués de Riscal was where the wine we know today as rioja really began. The sticker you see on the lower part of the bottle is a reproduction of the Diploma of Honour from the Bordeaux Exhibition of 1895: Marqués de Riscal was the first non-French wine ever to receive it.
On-line wine reviews of Marqués de Cáceres white Rioja, such as those found on Snooth, will typically refer to flavors and aromas of citrus, "minerals," and even bananas. It would be truer to say that it falls into that category of white riojas that wine writer Oz Clarke
This is not to say that Marqués de Cáceres white Rioja is bad wine. On the contrary, like the Protocolo White 2009 that I recently posted about, Marqués de Cáceres white Rioja's very anonymity comes as a welcome relief in a cheap white wine market crowded with overly fruity, flowery, sometimes medicinal-tasting pinot grigios, chardonnays, and blends. By comparison, Marqués de Cáceres white Rioja has relatively subtle fruit. Dry and clean-tasting, it will enhance simple Spanish seafood, poultry, and vegetarian dishes while never distracting you from them: it's just what table wine should be.
While Protocolo white, made mainly of airén grapes, is a soft, mellow, and somewhat old fashioned Castillian white, Marqués de Cáceres white Rioja, made of 100% viura, is slightly acidic, crisp, and more modern.
At less than $8 a bottle, this wine is a bargain.
