Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2012 (750ML)

100 JS / 97 WA / 97 VM / 97 DE /  97 FS / 95 WS

#1 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of Spain 2023
#10 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2023

So much dried flower, mushroom, iron, rust, sweet berry, and grilled orange. Full-bodied with very elegant and refined tannins that melt in the mouth and give a real sense of place and integrity. Balanced and harmonious. The finesse and finish is endless. Production was 30% less than in 2011. Already so drinkable. A wonderful future. This is the new 1934 or 1964, two legends. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

The 2012 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial was produced with a blend of 81% Tempranillo and 19% Mazuelo (Cariñena) from the plot La Plana in the Ygay estate, which was planted in 1950 at 485 meters above sea level, the highest in the Ygay property. The Tempranillo was picked between September 17th and 19th, and the Mazuelo was harvested on September 25th. The bunches were destemmed and lightly crushed and put to ferment in stainless steel for 10 days with constant pump-overs and délestages. The Tempranillo matured for 34 months in American oak barrels, and the Mazuelo also matured for 34 months but in French barriques. It was then blended and put in concrete for a further 20 months. It has 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.65 and 5.8 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter). It seems to follow the style of the 2011, perhaps somewhere between the 2010 and 2011—very classical, with notes of earth, cedar, spice and meat. The palate is polished, sleek and elegant with a touch of earthy rusticity. It was bottled in May 2019. No 2013, 2014 or 2015 will be produced, so from here, they will jump to 2016 to be released in 2026 or 2027. I look forward to it, and I'm intrigued about what I'm going to find when I taste it.-Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate

The 2012 Gran Reserva Especial Castillo Ygay is 81% Tempranillo and 19% Mazuelo sourced from La Plana vineyard, planted on the Ygay Estate, Rioja Alta. Aged for 34 months in French and American oak barrels, this wine offers displays a garnet color with a brick sheen. It reveals a complex aroma of bee wax, dried flowers, cassis, sour cherry, cedar and vanilla, with a candied layer. Dry, silky and fairly juicy, the fine-grained tannins and heightened acidity deliver a cleansing, long-lasting finish. This exceptional wine exudes energy and demonstrates proven aging potential, making it one to savor and age gracefully. -- Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous Media

The 2012 bottling of the Ygay Gran Reserva really ups the savoury character, with the Tempranillo buoyed by 19% Mazuelo, delivering bright fruits and fresh acidity. This is a vintage of true elegance. This wine was bottled in 2019, a blend of 81% Tempranillo aged in American oak and 19% Mazuelo (also known as Carignan) aged in French oak, each for 34 months. The Mazuelo brightens the wine and imbues it with such elegance. The Gran Reserva is sourced entirely from La Plana, located at nearly 500m, and its 80-year-old vines are all dedicated to this iconic bottling. Gorgeous fresh and savoury aromas of dried violet and rose petals, smoky clove and eucalyptus. The palate offers freshness around a core of red fruits. Fresh wild mint, ripe strawberries, notes of balsamic and turned earth are lifted up by a streak of graphite that cuts across the finish.--Clive Pursehouse, Decanter

Medium garnet, with garnet reflections and a broad ochre rim. Intense nuances of oak, vanilla, ripe red fruits of forest, but also herbs such as rosemary, marjoram together with nougat and ripe fruit. Juicy, finely spiced, ripe sweet cherry and plum, pronounced but very well polished tannins, then the concentrated fruit expression becomes noticeable. Very mineral and elegant, it shows an amazing freshness on the palate with red berry nuances. A wine that is surprisingly light-footed for Ygay. It is already very inviting and can be enjoyed straight away with a little decanting. A very finesse-rich style.-Falstaff

This sophisticated red offers rich flavors of plum compote and dried cherry and raspberry fruit, with detailed notes of espresso, anise, mountain herbs and fresh earth. Shows lovely interplay between generosity and a sense of finesse, integrating fine, chalky tannins and orange peel acidity. Long and fragrant on the finish. Tempranillo and Mazuelo. Drink now through 2037. From Spain. May 8, 2024—A.N., Wine Spectator "Hot Wine"