Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Rioja Gran Reserva Especial 2009

After brief breathing time, this wine was showng blossoming fragrance. This deeply pigmented wine with dark core shows a garnet rim that gives some indication to its age. Beautifully integrated oak spice, vanilla, butter, and brioche is laced with notes of blueberry, red and black cherry, some notes of grape jam and raisin. Further nosing uncovers violet, red bricks, maple and minerality. It has juicy acidity bringing forth its fine grained smooth and velvety tannin. All the flavours are delivered in a very complex yet very approachable manner. All that delicious flavours last along with the structural elements well into the finish almost to no end. There’s something high up soaring in the sky but also something very grounded and down to earth about this wine. Like a hard working couple who have had a full and accomplished life and now enjoying the farming scene with a hobby vineyard producing small batch hand crafted fine wines - something I very much would love to be able to do.

A single vineyard expression in this fine estate situated at the south most point of Rioja Alta. Only made in the best years with 2 years in oak barriques (both American and French unlike many others which are mostly American oak) and 3 years further aging in bottle. A blend of 81% Tampranillo and 19% Mazuelo is used for this particular vintage for a balance in flavours and structure.  What’s great about Rioja is that they are almost always released only when they are ready to be enjoyed. Even though many can still benefit from further aging, they are drinking so well already without the much comflicted dilemma between desire and patience.