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Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2012

Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

2012
A fine collectors' wine which gets better over time
97
PARKER

£345.50

/ 0.75 L btl
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Spec sheet

TypeRed wine
Region
Grapes
Producer
AllergensContains sulfites
Alcohol contenti14.0%
Production100,000 - 130,000 bottles

The wine

Castillo Ygay is the Marqués de Murrieta flagship and the most senior of all its wines, a century-old label among Rioja wines and an icon amid its Gran Reservas. A wine of exceptionally good quality, very elegant, solely produced in the best vintage years.

What does this wine taste like?

Castillo Ygay is a long and profound wine. It has astonishing complexity, with an intensely aromatic nose and a caressingly satin texture on the palate. A Gran Reserva that boasts muscle, an elegant bouquet, fruit intensity and impeccable balance. Fresh, concentrated and with a long life ahead, over many decades. Quality of this sort has a price, but the pleasure it gives is guaranteed.

Light
Bold
Smooth
Tannic
Dry
Sweet
Soft
Acidic
View
Morello cherry red
Bouquet
Higly aromatic / Red fruit / Flowers / Truffle / Incense / Spices
Mouth
Velvety / Structured / Elegant / Balanced

Drinking and storing

We recommend decanting an hour before serving.

Serve between 17ºC and 19ºC

Food pairing

carnes-rojas
Red meat
caza
Game
cocidos-y-potajes
Stews and casseroles

Grilled beef / T-bone steak / Mushrooms / Dishes with truffles / Oven-cooked game meat

Ratings and awards

201297 PK
201197 PK98 SK94 WS
201097 PK95 PN99 SK96 WS
200996 PK96 PN94 WS
200795+ PK94 PN
200596 PK95 PN
PK: ParkerPN: PeñínSK: SucklingWS: Wine spectator

Wine critics reviewsReviews by Parker

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...

— Luís Gutiérrez (14/07/2022)Robert Parker Wine Advocate Vintage 2011 - 97 PARKER

Customer reviews

4.7/5
15 reviews
Vintage:

Winemaking

The two varieties are matured separately, the Tempranillo in American oak barrels for 28 months, and the Mazuelo, also for 28 months, but in French oak barrels. Both wines carry out the initial phase of their ageing process in new barrels and, once the final blend has been obtained and before bottling, the wine spends six months in concrete tanks. Lastly, the wine is refined in bottle for a minimum of three years.

Vinification materialWood
Ageing period28 months
Type of woodAmerican and French oak

Vineyards

Finca Ygay

The varieties partaking in its blend are the Tempranillo and Mazuelo, using selected grapes from the La Plana vineyard, located in the highest part of the exceptional Ygay estate, at an altitude of 485 metres.

Vine age56 years
ClimateContinental
YieldsVery low yields
Surface area40.00 hectares
Altitude485.00 meters

The winery

Marqués de Murrieta

Marqués de Murrieta

Marqués de Murrieta is one of the most historic Spanish wineries. Its origins date back to 1852 when Luciano de Murrieta started trading his wines in the New World. Today, 170 years later, the impressive Ygay estate seems untouched by the passage of time, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Nowadays, Vicente D. Cebrián-Sagarriga, the present Count of Creixell, manages the winery with his sister Cristina and a skilled young team which understands how to...

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