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Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2011

$359.99 x 6

(price per 750ml bottle) - sold in cases of 6 bottles
In stock. Available for purchase online by the unmixed case.

Additional information

Bottles per case

6

Price range per bottle

$100.00 and over

Unit

750

Grape variety

Tempranillo & Tempranillo Blends

Vintage

2011

Country

Spain

Region

Rioja

Sub region

Rioja Alta

Winery

Wine type

Red Table Wine

Payment Type

cc

Collection

Marques de Murrieta

Marqués de Murrieta’s “Castillo Ygay” is a renowned label, an icon of total quality and excellence in Gran Reservas. The historic wine is produced exclusively in the best years from the Estate’s best single vineyard. The wines is composed of mostly Tempranillo and approximately 15% Mazuelo (also known as Carignan).

Whole bunches are de-stemmed and gently crushed, then racked and fermented in stainless steel. The wine ages for 28 months in 225 litre oak barrels: American oak for the Tempranillo, French oak for the Mazuelo. Just after final blending, before bottling, the wine settles in concrete. The finished wine spends at least three years in bottle prior to release.

Fragrances of ripe cherry, blueberry and cassis with refined hints of garrigue, Mediterranean herbs, black pepper, clove and mocha. Balance defines this wine vintage after vintage; lively on the palate yet enveloping and harmonious, with silky tannins and a long, elegant finish.

“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…” 97 points, Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate, July 2022

“Look at an early bottle of this wine and you will see that it was labelled Château Ygay. However, eventually France complained – hence the Castillo Ygay we have now. The Castle is a worthy name for one of Rioja’s most famed wines from one of Rioja’s founding wineries. It carries lightly its two years in American oak and its following years in bottle, revealing elegant spicing, red fruits and bright acidity. The 16% Mazuelo is important here for freshness: a distinguishing feature of Murrieta vineyard resources.” 97 points, Sarah Jane Evans, Decanter, December 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.” 95 points, Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media, April 2022

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