Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2007

Description

98 points | #13 of 2015 Top 100 Wines “The aromas of this show an amazing freshness of flowers and herbs such as lavender, rosemary, and violet. Then it goes to raspberry, candy and currants. Black licorice too. A truly great wine on the nose. Full-bodied, racy and linear. So polished. It’s like a red ruby. 86% tempranillo and 14% mazuelo in the blend. For release in September 2015. Great length and future. Give it three years or so. Or decant two hours in advance.” – J.S., JamesSuckling.com, 7.17.15

95+ points “This is a cuv?e of mostly Tempranillo with the balance of Mazuelo (Cari?ena), a very important grape for Castillo de Ygay in percentages that vary depending on the vintage, and it’s almost 15% in 2007. 2007 was not an easy vintage and in Ygay they had a terrible mildew attack and they lost 50% of the bunches. It’s a cold, rainy year, but because of that circumstance the wine is concentrated. This is still a baby, long and with depth and tannins that should melt in a couple of years. Compared with the 2005 it is fresher, perhaps not as concentrated, but for me the extra freshness compensates and puts it at a very similar quality level. And the rule of thumb is to wait at least ten years after the harvest to start uncorking any Castillo de Ygay. Cheap it is not, but very good value it is, for the quality it delivers.? – L.G., Wine Advocate, 4.30.15

eRobertParker.com #218 Apr 2015 Luis Gutierrez 95+ Drink: 2017 – 2027 $68-$108 (99) A worthy follow-up of the 2007, the 2007 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial will be released in late 2015. This is a cuv?e of mostly Tempranillo with the balance of Mazuelo (Cari?ena), a very important grape for Castillo de Ygay in percentages that vary depending on the vintage, and it’s almost 15% in 2007. 2007 was not an easy vintage and in Ygay they had a terrible mildew attack and they lost 50% of the bunches. It’s a cold, rainy year, but because of that circumstance the wine is concentrated. This is still a baby, long and with depth and tannins that should melt in a couple of years. Compared with the 2005 it is fresher, perhaps not as concentrated, but for me the extra freshness compensates and puts it at a very similar quality level. And the rule of thumb is to wait at least ten years after the harvest to start uncorking any Castillo de Ygay. Cheap it is not, but very good value it is, for the quality it delivers. 110,000 bottles were produced. There will be no Castillo de Ygay in 2008, but there will be 2009, 2010 and 2011. That’s something exceptional to have three vintages in a row.

I visited the revamped facilities of Marqu?s de Murrieta in the outskirts of Logro?o. After eight years they finished restoring the historical Castillo de Ygay building, all done with great taste. But the real focus has been on their vineyards and their wines, which are back at the top of the Rioja hierarchy. Mar?a Vargas, the winemaker, is ecstatic about the quality of the wines from 2011, which she calls perfect 2011, like 2005 and 2001. I found all the wines to be showing great, but perhaps the highlight is the 2010 Reserva, which might be the best vintage for this wine ever. The best part of it all is that it’s available in good quantities and at an unbelievable price for the quality this vintage offers. Next time I hope to be able to taste and publish the note on the bottled 1986 Castillo de Ygay Gran Reserva Blanco which should be released in 2016 to coincide with its 30th anniversary.

The aromas of this show an amazing fresh