A contender for the best Spanish white wine ever made, this ’86 Castillo Ygay Blanco Gran Reserva was released with thirty years of maturity. It is a spellbinding wine that slowly unfolds its kaleidoscopic layers of tropical and citrus fruits, crushed minerals, salted toffee, savory herbs, earthy truffles, white flower petals and too many more notes to name. Silky yet electric with acidity, this wine glides across the palate with a creamy mouth-feel; it’s an indescribable treat for the senses, and it will drink for decades. A blend of 97% Viura and 3% Malvasía deriving from a vineyard planted in 1945, grapes were crushed in a screwtop wine press and fermented in American oak. The wine aged for about 21 years in American oak barriques, about seven years in concrete tanks, and about three years in bottle; this ’86 Castillo Ygay Blanco Gran Reserva went to market in 2016.
- Country: Spain
- Region: Rioja
- Sub Region/Classification: La Rioja Alta
- Commune/Village: Logrono
Named after estate founder Luciano de Murrieta, one of the fathers of modern Rioja winemaking, Marques de Murrieta began in 1852. Today, this estate is still family owned and operated, now by the family of Vincente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga, but it has expanded to encompass two holdings: the original 740-acre estate in southern tip of the Rioja Alta, and the thirty-acre Pazo de Barrantes Estate located in the Rias Baixa. While comparatively large for the region, Marques de Murrieta vinifies its own grapes, crafting wines that span the range of traditional and modern, including its acclaimed pair of whites, Capellanía Blanco Riserva, a traditional, savory white bottling, and collector Castillo Ygay Blanco, a wine that is thirty years in the making. Committed to crafting fine wines that honor tradition, express the estate’s unique terroir, yet look forward to a heady future of Spanish winemaking.
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