Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

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In the glass

Aroma: dried cherry, tobacco leaf, cedar, balsamic, sweet spice

Palate: macerated red fruit, leather, truffle, fine tannin

The estate's flagship from the Ygay vineyard, released only in exceptional years after a decade-plus of ageing; the 2010 was named Wine Spectator Wine of the Year 2020, a savoury, classical Gran Reserva of great longevity.

What it pairs with

• Cordero asado al sarmiento Vine-roasted lamb is the historic match for this grand old-school Gran Reserva.More wines for lamb →
• Roast partridge Game's gaminess meets the wine's truffle and tobacco depth.More wines for game →
• Chuleton de buey Aged-beef chop frames the wine's fine tannin and savoury oak.More wines for steak →Find chuleton de buey on TableJourney →
• Aged Idiazabal Smoked Basque sheep cheese mirrors the wine's cedar and balsamic.More wines for aged hard cheese →

With cheese

Queso Camerano Our pick Two years or more in oak and long bottle ageing make Gran Reserva Rioja mature and complex, medium in tannin and high in acidity; curado Camerano, hard, salty and faintly bitter with wild-herb notes, meets that depth, and the acidity cuts its fat.

How to serve Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

Allow 95 minutes from open to pour.

1. Open and decant. Open 90 minutes before serving and pour into a decanter to aerate.
2. Serve at 16-18°C. Cellar temperature (16-18°C) is the band for this style. Warmer pushes alcohol forward; colder dampens aromatics.
3. Glassware. Use a large Bordeaux-style glass: the bowl shape rewards the wine's structure.
4. Pair with. Cordero asado al sarmiento, Roast partridge, Chuleton de buey. Match the wine's structure to the dish's fat and salt.

History

Castillo Ygay is the estate's prestige bottling from the oldest parcels of the Ygay vineyard, made only in exceptional vintages and aged for many years in oak and bottle. The 2010 was named Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year in 2020.

1. 1917First Castillo Ygay vintage laid down
2. 1986A legendary 1942 Castillo Ygay released after decades in cask
3. 20202010 vintage named Wine Spectator Wine of the Year

Facts

Producer

Marques de Murrieta · visiting guide

Grapes

Tempranillo (84%), Mazuelo (16%)

Classification

DOCa Rioja

Oak

Long ageing in a mix of American and French oak, often more than a decade, plus extended bottle age before release

ABV

14.0%

Price

EUR 100 to 250 at retail

Drinking window

10 to 40 from vintage

First vintage

1917

Frequently asked about Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

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