TN: Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

[rens]

When I first started drinking wine I tried Rioja and found it uninspiringly dry, over oaked with minimal fruit and way too much tannin. So I consigned it to the same heap as VB and Sav Blanc-only to be drunk if your life depends on it and even then I’d think twice. Fast forward a decade and a half and I found myself in a Spanish restaurant with a wine list containing only stuff from Spain. .
Following a prolonged discussion with the sommelier regarding my disdain for all wines from Spain he assured me they had had a much needed renovation. Oh boy was he right. A new kitchen, new bathroom, knocked out some walls and added a deck to the back kind of renovation (and no tool belt clad Scott Cam with four teams of urban-hipster-yuppies anywhere to be seen). The new Riojas are very nice indeed.
Six months on from that and I’ve tried quiet a number and so it came to pass that I stumbled across the Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. Apparently this stuff only gets made in the best years like 1978, 1998, 2001 and now 2004. This was made with Tempranillo (93%) and a bit of Mazuelo (7%) from selected vineyard sites in the Rioja Alta. It spent 29 months in American oak (old habits die hard) but it must have been 7 or 8 year old barrels because there is only the smallest hint of vanilla oak and coconut adding to the laser precision balancing act. It gives you everything you could want from the newly renovated Rioja with sweet red fruits, dried plums, leather, dried flowers, Cuban tobacco leaf and lovely earthy nuances. It is only medium bodied and finesses its way eloquently through the mouth with a lingering and persistent finish. It is so ready to drink now but if you can resist temptation it will only improve and drink well beyond its second decade in the bottle.
I’ve gone back a few times to buy these to put in the cellar. At a smidgeon above $60, every time I walk out of the shop, I feel like I’ve just robbed someone.

[Peter NZ]

Sounds similar to the '01 I opened last week -- fully agree that they're stunning value. Will leave the rest for a few years before revisiting. And fully agree re the Rioja renaissance (though there's a few who've been consistent excellent forever --eg CVNE and Lopez de Heredia).

Cheers
Peter

[Mahmoud Ali]

I'm not sure whether you like the old style Riojas or the newer ones.

The older Spanish wines, especially Rioja, were traditionally aged on old oak barrels. Traditional Rioja reserva or gran reserva spent years in barrel and consequently were relatively lighter in colour, had lost much of their tannins, and had a pronounced old vanillin oak bouquet. In the 90s many producers started using new oak barrels and bottled their wines earlier. Some Rioja producers even stopped using the reserva and gran reserva designations. The wines were darker and more intense, had a new oak profile, and were far more tannic.

For those like me who liked the old style wines it was a backward step. There are plenty of fruity, new oak wines in the world and it is a real shame that there is so little of the older style being made. There are perhaps only two traditional producers of Rioja remaining, Lopez de Heredia and La Rioja Alta. Lopez de Heredia's Reservas spend 4-5 years in barrel before being bottled and are released when almost 10 years old. Their current release of their rose is the 2000 vintage.

Marques de Murrieta has a number of modern wines in it's stable but in the Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial you have likely hit upon a Rioja that has likely been "modernized" but likely has elements of older styled Rioja.

Cheers......................Mahmoud.

[Jay60A]

Depends on personal taste but La Rioja Alta is serious stuff ... very good memories of the Ardanza (Reserva) 1999 seriously good, 2001 not too shabby too.

[ticklenow1]

Thanks for the note Rens. I might have to track some down and put it to rest in the cellar for a few years. I like you have never been a huge fan of Spanish wines but a few months back a friend got us a few old bottles (mid 90's) and I actually quite enjoyed them. I've bought the odd bottle since and with my almost zero knowledge of foreign wine, it's always great to get a good heads up.

Cheers
Ian