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YFDC2397
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Marqués de Murrieta

Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

2011

Description

Their flagship cuvée, the Castillo Y’Gay Rioja Gran Reserva Especial, needs little introduction. Made only in the best vintages from vines planted in 1950, the wine spent a decade maturing in the cellars before being released and had no problems impressing wine critics. Delivering “marvelous aromas of crushed berries, tobacco, cedar and mushrooms” (JS), Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate) reckons this to be one of the finest Rioja in modern days, with “all the stuffing and balance that is needed for a long (and positive) aging in bottle”.

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    REVIEWS

    JAMES SUCKY - 97 POINTS

    Extremely well-mannered, traditional character to this, showing layer upon layer of savory complexity on the nose, with iron, dried meat, tobacco, balsamic fruit, dried red berries, orange peel, leather and dried mushrooms. A medium-to full-bodied, linear and zesty Rioja that’s full of nuanced flavors that linger through the very long, savory finish. Floral, too. Yet, it remains bright and precise. Tempranillo with 16% mazuelo. Drink on release or hold.

    Review Date:  6th July 2022

    Up a point with an extra year in bottle, the 2011 Ygay seems to have settled into its skin over the last 12 months. Made from a duo of Tempranillo and 16% Mazuelo, respectively aged in American and French oak, this has balsamic, Mediterranean herb top notes of pine and rosemary, subtle oak spices, plenty of density and focus and the acidity, tannic structure and dark berry fruit power to age.

     

    Drinking Window:  2027 – 2045
    Reviewer Name:  Tim Atkin MW
    Review Date:  1st October 2022
    The 2011 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial was produced with a blend of 84% Tempranillo and 16% Mazuelo (Cariñena) from a plot called La Plana that was planted in 1950 at 485 meters in altitude, the highest in the Ygay property. The grapes were picked between September 17 and 22, and the Mazuelo was later, on September 28. The bunches were destemmed and lightly crushed and put to ferment in stainless steel for 11 days with constant pump-overs and punch-downs. The Tempranillo matured for 28 months in American oak barrels and the Mazuelo for 28 months in French barriques. It’s 14% alcohol and has a pH of 3.65 with 5.6 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter). It’s very tough to follow a vintage like 2010, and 2011 was not an easy year; the wine is possibly more powerful and concentrated but keeping the freshness, with a longer élevage but very young and lively, with an elegant texture and mouthfeel, great balance and elegance. The wine feels lively, and it seems impossible that it has been in bottle for over six years. It has the classical profile with the effect of the American oak barrels, cigar box, cedar wood, sweet spices—aromatic, intoxicating, complex. This should age very slowly and for a very long time. 131,668 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2016. No 2013, 2014 or 2015 will be produced. They have a 2012, and they will jump from that to 2016. The 2012 will be released in late 2023 or early 2024 and the 2016 in 2027 or 2028. Finger crossed…

     

    Drinking Window:  2022 – 2040
    Reviewer Name:  Luis Gutierrez
    Review Date:  14th July 2022
    #11 TOP 100 CELLAR SELECTIONS 2022
    Deep violet-red to the eye, this wine has a nose of raspberry, white chocolate and juniper berry. Still youthful on the palate, it offers ever-present tannins supporting flavors of dark plum, black cherry, caramel and violet that slowly fade into a soft cherry-pie finish.

     

    Drinking Window:  2022 – 2042
    Reviewer Name:  Mike Desimone
    Review Date:  1st April 2022
    Deep garnet. A highly perfumed, complex bouquet evokes red and blue fruits, incense, pipe tobacco, vanilla and mocha, along with smoky mineral and spice nuances that build in the glass. Sappy, palate-staining black raspberry, cherry compote, succulent herb, candied rose and vanilla flavors show excellent depth and clarity, while a spine of juicy acidity contributes cut and structure. Shows excellent energy and detail, finishing with strong persistence, repeating florality and velvety tannins that come in late.

     

    Drinking Window:  2023 – 2034
    Reviewer Name:  Josh Raynolds
    Review Date:  1st April 2021

    TO LEARN MORE

    Marques de Murrieta

    Rioja is known primarily for its reds although it also makes white wines from the Viura and Malvasia grapes and rosés mainly from Garnacha. Most wineries (bodegas) have their own distinct red wine formula, but are normally a combination of Tempranillo, Garnacha and sometimes Graciano. Other red varieties recently approved into the Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) regulations are the little-known

    Rioja

    Marqués de Murrieta was one of two pioneers in the production of Rioja wines, this bodega was established in 1852 and is proudly old-fashioned in its approach. All the grapes are sourced from the bodega’s own vineyards at Ygay near Logroño, which were recently extended to 300ha. Traditional grape varities are grown Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo, Garnacha Blanca and Viura, many of which have now disappeared from the

    Tempranillo

    A high quality red wine grape that is grown all over Spain except in the hot South – it is known as Tinto Fino in Ribera del Duero, Cencibel in La Mancha and Valdepenas and Ull de Llebre in Catalonia. Its spiritual home is in Rioja and Navarra where it constitutes around 70% of most red blends.

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