Marques De Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Rioja 2011
(Wine Advocate Score 97) 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...
It holds all the attributes that characterize the great wines of the world: elegance, exclusivity and eternity.
Our flagship, a benchmark in the DO Rioja with an unquestionable recognition worldwide. It represents the consistency of a project started in 1852 and masterfully maintained. Part of its greatness resides on the fact that it is only made in selected vintages. Castillo Ygay has developed a great complexity over the years without losing its exceptional freshness and demonstrating its superb quality and marked elegance.
Castillo Ygay is always made from the best grapes sourced from La Plana, a 40-hectare (98-acre) vineyard, planted in 1950 and located at 485 meters above sea level, in the highest area of Ygay State, our 300-hectare estate in Rioja Alta.
Grapes are de-stemmed after going through a selection table. The grape varieties ferment separately in stainless steel tanks, with controlled temperature. The alcoholic fermentation lasts 10-12 days approx. making regularly pumping over and punching down and delestage operations to favor the contact of the must with the skins and extract slowly the aromas and the phenolic compounds. After fermentation, the solid parts of the grapes are pressed in vertical presses, through a gentle and slow process that favors the extraction of color and ripe tannins that reside in the skin. After blending, the wine remains 13 months in a concrete tank until bottling.
| Winery | Marques de Murrieta |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Rioja |
| Wine Type | Red Wine |
| Grape variety | Tempranillo |
| Bottle Size | Bottle |
| Vintage | 2011 |
Browse all Marques de Murrieta Wines
The origin of Marqués de Murrieta winery is also the origin of Rioja. Don Luciano Murrieta, applying techniques learned in Bordeaux, made the first Rioja wine in 1852, with the intention of sustaining it over time.
Don Luciano´s vision was clear from the begin-ning: to create a fine Rioja wine with a great ageing potential and start exporting it outside of Spain. He shipped his first vintage, with the legendary 1852, to countries such as Mexico and Cuba, making it the first fine Rioja wine to be exported.
Marqués de Murrieta is a way of living that starts in the land with every single grape and we share with the world through our wines. We are a family and a professional team with the same goal: to keep our tradition alive, believe in ourselves and in the quality in the search for excellence. We work with our hands, our mind and our heart applying the technology always in balance with our history.
Marqués de Murrieta is continuously evolving with new and visionary ideas which enable us to adapt to the new times, new consumers and our dreams. Our vocation drives us to work always with passion and dignify our vineyard, every grape, every bottle, every glass of wine in any part of the world where we are present.
