Marques de Murrieta, Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, Rioja

Absolutely wonderful. Drinking amazingly youthful, with guests guessing it to be from the nineties. I've had this several times before, as well as many other old vintages, and this remains one of my favorite wines of all time.

1970 vintage

WCC Spanish Red Wines (The Chef's Table in Café Capriccio, Albany, NY) : [Double-decanted at 8am for 8 hours.] Juicy, red fruit. Big and juicy in the mouth. Young, but gaining some complexity over time.

2004 vintage

WCC Spanish (Cafe Capriccio) : Like the aromatics here a lot - savoury, a bit of leather and earthy funk around red and dark fruit. But the palate doesn't live up - it feels a touch hollow and slightly lean on the palate, but there's also a slight alcoholic warmth to the finish.

2004 vintage

Tasted blind. Initially malty with fine pipe tobacco notes and a feature of fudge. Fruit of dried red berries and desiccated coconut. The palate carries a nutty feature and is built entirely on acidity with little structure left otherwise. With aeration the malty dimension expands while the palate retains its freshness and turns even more juicy.

1964 vintage

Immer noch sehr frisch und jung. Kann noch liegen. Braucht zeit, am besten dekantieren.

2000 vintage

I have stopped buying this wine because of the huge price increase in recent years. But having said that, this was terrific. Very good complexity and concentration. Just delicious. No sign of old age.

2004 vintage

I'm afraid I may have held these too long. We'll see if my opinion changes tomorrow.

2004 vintage

Wow! Complex nose of red berries, cola, smoke, warming Indian spices and, with additional coaxing, some earthy mushrooms. Light on its feet on the palate but full of verve and intensity. Dark red berries, cola-braised meat, and soy, with a hint of truffle/mushrooms. Long silky finish. Power and finesse in harmony. Got better and better over a few hours. Has the stuffing for the long haul and will gain in complexity. Fantastic stuff!

2004 vintage

I echo Harley’s notes below on my second of five bottles - including the cork malfunction and screening. I also feel like this is a lovely wine but past the top of its bell curve. Few notes of dill, which is certainly more present in other makers. Silky mouthfeel. Murrietta is my first love in Rioja for good reason. This will be perfect with ribs for Easter!

2004 vintage

I drank this bottle a while back in time, say a couple of months. It definitly had reached its peak, and a few steps beyond, but it was still an outstanding bottle if wine, with some fruit, lots of barnyard, leather and forest-floor tones. Very soft in the mouth, it had lost much of its structure, but it was still standing. A great experience!

2004 vintage

Ygay 1934/1942/1959/1986/2001 : Five legendary Murrieta Ygays - a great privilege to taste these wines. First the white 1986 (93pts), which was intellectually pleasing and highly elegant, but didn‘t had the complexity I hoped for. The 1934 (99pts) was the standout red and an incredibly wine. Softness and elegance, tension and freshness, wonderful old-wine sweetness, perfect balance and incredibly length - the complete package. The 1942 (94pts) had a beautiful play of sweetness and tertiary aromas, but a touch of …

1942 vintage

Castillo Ygay Vertical (Zurich) : Red berries, earthy and a good acidity. Finish quite long. Delicious, but clearly in the shadow of the 1934

1942 vintage

Amazing wine. No rush whatsoever.

2004 vintage

Husker Tailgate: Nebraska vs. Illinois (Outside of Memorial Stadium - Lincoln, NE) : This bottle had been cellared since release and cork was in near pristine condition. At 54 years old, it remains a deep garnet/purple and now with loads of sediment. Classic Rioja character with dried black cherry, toasted coconut, cedar, dried flowers, leather and earth. The structure remains intact and the acid is still pretty fierce. This should continue to age very well if conditions are good.

1970 vintage

Twenty years on, time to uncork some Rioja GR like this one. Opened by the Durand. First time in my life this pull doesnt work because last third of that long cork was pulverised. Decanted and filtered in order to avoid small pieces and sediments. Served by a Zalto croft. Bright cherry colour, brownish edges. Aromas of marzipan, leather, sour cherry coke, ashes, cigar box or herbal tones. Lovely Rioja complexity. On the palate presents a silky texture, a medium-bodied …

2004 vintage

Coravin fun - Spain (My place, Burwood) : from Coravin. A little dusty and closed initially, with agitation starts to show slightly oxidised red fruits, herbaceous notes feel a little mulchy, vanilla, sweet spice, biscuit. Juicy, savoury, very slightly oxidised here as well, red hued fruits, meaty, vanilla, a tiny touch of bitterness to the drying, woody, coarse flour textured tannins, all travels very long aided by non-intrusive alcohol warmth. Okay.

2004 vintage

Predominantly herbal, leathery and earthy nose. Nice structure after almost 30 years, soft tannins, (the best part of this bottle) and medium long aftertaste. It's always a nice experience to try a 30-year-old wine that can offer at least something to taste. But this one lacks beauty and elegance. Even tiny traces of any fruity aromas would change my mind, but without them this bottle does not offer to me any special pleasure. Nevertheless, I am glad that I had …

1995 vintage

2024-05 Vinorules Spanish at Scopri (Scopri) : Tasted blind. Vanilla and ripeness on the nose. Rich, blackcurrant, massive wine. 91

2004 vintage

Dinner at D Cuisine (Chicago, IL) : Only moderate American oak notes here. Black fruit and leather, and only starting to develop secondary characteristics. I quite enjoy the balance here, but knowing how well these wines age this is a wine that will benefit from a few more decades in the cellar.

2004 vintage

Delicious.

2004 vintage

(17,5/20) Hors categorie wine. Stunning concentration, lively acidity, complex and layered wine. Medium+ intense aromas of blackberry, raspberry, cranberry, blueberry, violet, milk chocolate, vanilla, toast, tobacco leaves, leather, black pepper, gravel, bay leaf. Dry wine, medium+ acidity, medium and fine-grained tannins, full body, pronounced flavour intensity, long finish. 14% ABV - served @ Boer 50 jaar

2004 vintage

Excellent. Still many many years to drink

2004 vintage

Double decanted 3 hours earlier. Deep ruby. Stalky, volatile aromatics. Much better in the mouth with rich feel, cherry fruit, and soil. Moderately tannic. Hard to believe this is 80+ years old. If this action acquisition is indeed authentic, it is interesting to think about how massive it must have been at the beginning of its life. I don’t believe I’ve ever tasted a 1942 from anywhere in the world.

1942 vintage

Beautiful nose , cedar , sweet spot -- I only want to smell this wine the whole time -- It fills the room straight from the opening What a stunning wine -- Very long aftertaste, sad of my last bottle still vibrant – long life ahead -- very high recommended

1970 vintage

Spanish fun day one (N&J's place, Canberra) : From Coravin. Meaty, savoury, a little baked bean, tomato and tomato leaf initially as well as quite an umami underpin. With time and agitation more red red fruits starts to come through; strawberry especially, with a little herbaceous underpin and plenty of vanilla oak, as well as a little red currant. Sourly juicy, meaty, savoury umami, porcini, concentrated though muted red fruits in support, tannins are drying but silky, textured, all travel …

2004 vintage

fantastic earthy nose, red fruit and some nice acidity, well balanced and so good.

1942 vintage

Ample, corsé avec encore un peu d'élevage. Sur les cerises, les bleuets et le poivre. Les tannins sont charnus et la finale super longue nous laisse sur des relents de tabac. Encore musclé et bien en forme.

2004 vintage

Delicious!

2004 vintage

the wine is medium garnett with a medium intensity developed aromas of blackberry , raspberry , wet cedar, mushroom, fig, nutmeg, chocolate, forest floor, and funk. The wine has high alcohol and medium acidity with medium tannins and body. The palate matches the aromas with the addition of tar and tobacco. The complexity of this wine is off the charts and is also quite balanced. This is an outstanding wine that should be drunk now and over the next five …

2004 vintage

Still young, this is going to be a serious long term wine.

2004 vintage

What a stunning wine. Still surprisingly fresh with fruity notes - primary black cherries. Also clear notes of vanilla and leather. Complex and well balanced. Impressive 51 years Rioja.

1970 vintage

Big ripe dark cherry with cigar box, cedar, dried tobacco leaf. Smooth and silky. Massive structure but comes across very elegant. Long finish. Integrated silky tannin that lingers perfectly on the finish. Super balanced. Vanilla bean, cherries and lots of green tobacco aftertaste. Classic Ygay, still quite young, but hard to resist. To think this will improve. Drink 2025-2035.

2004 vintage

i am mindful of the fact that i'm enjoying a bottle of wine that was bottled from grapes harvested during the second world war... humbling. clear translucent dark ruby red with a slight amber hue at the edges. the nose is so beguiling and unique. sanguine notes, soy, leather, citrus, dijon. the palate is bright yet soft and lithe. sour cherry, iron, and there is a lovely saline tone that is subtly woven throughout and holds through the finish. stunning.

1942 vintage

Another Sunday service at Jade Court (Chicago, IL) : The nose here was a little better than the palate -- there was only a moderate amount of old Rioja funk, as well as a pretty compelling nose of dried red fruit. On the palate, the wine does fall off a bit; it's a little thin and shows a lot of acidity. I can't disagree with the tart cherry description that was mentioned at the table. Not as compelling as these …

1964 vintage

This bottle was extremely youthful, with powerful structure and extraction. Lovely drinking at present, though this bottle probably could have benefited from much more age. I've experienced quite a lot of bottle to bottle variation with this wine, so best bet is to hold longer and hope for a good bottle.

2000 vintage

P&P, great experience. Nice traditional old school Rioja flavours, vanilla, blueberries. Great acidity backbone. Dried herbs, very nice old school Rioja.

2004 vintage

A swirl of distinct flavors once the mustiness disappeared. Sadly, the flavors were sour and offputting. This wine is past its prime.

1970 vintage

Wow a bottle I did rast the first time with coravin 9/2015. Unbelievable! Still no oxidation! Crimson red. Delicious complex flavors of strawberry wild raspberry a bot of vanilla and milk chocolate -seducing!. Medium to full body with soft textured tannins and impressive very long and persistent finish.

2000 vintage

Utregs Wijnhuis proeverij Exclusief (Utrecht) : Tasted blind - Deep red with a brick rim. On the nose blackberries, cherries, plum, chocolate and oak. Long finish

2004 vintage

Crumbly, fragile cork so use caution when opening- my other bottles have had the same issue. Still rather vibrant in color with no bricking. The nose is a little muted with cherries and a suggestion of cardamom and cinnamon. On the palate, this is showing the early signs of maturity and the fruit tones have mellowed...lots of dried cherry and fig, a tiny bit of dill pickle remaining from the oak treatment, and that sort of savory spicy leathery note …

2004 vintage

Very complex, a great wine. Needs air!

2004 vintage

Over the hill, lots of raisins...

2000 vintage

Popped my magnum of this wine which I didn't even have cataloged. Was worried it would be past its prime, but it's doing just fine and could have gone a lot longer with no hints of oxidation. Old world style with lower alcohol and lighter overall profile. Getting hints of raisins, some lighter fruit as well. Wasn't expecting much but this is a lovely wine.

2000 vintage

From 75cl, brittle cork broke during extraction and fell into bottle. Decanted 1 hour, improved until final drop. Superb American oak/red fruit/exotic spice scent; gorgeous lifted entry with recurrant, morello, more exquisitely judged oak segues to a piercingly (ripe)-acidic mid-palate with complex red fruit (and a hint of plum with cinnamon). Outstanding depth and resonance. Long, tingling finish. I'll risk the adjective "burgundian", but admit to having tasted relatively few Burgs offering this much pleasure and complexity (Ponsot Clos St. …

2000 vintage

from magnum - opened for more than an hour without decanting. Lovely and fragrant nose with strawberry and woodsy notes.

1970 vintage

Still vibrant and delicious...but its probably time to drink up.

2000 vintage

from magnum - not decanted. Acidity a little higher than expected, but the nose was beautiful with wood and cedar notes. Sweet on the attack. Drinking beautifully.

1970 vintage

Hoy le ha llegado el momento al Castillo de Ygay Reserva Especial de 1942. La botella la tenía guardada por aquello de encontrar un "momento especial" pero hace poco, revisando la bodega vi que tenía cierta perdida y precipité su consumo. Botella procedente de colección privada, diría que las condiciones de guarda fueron buenas pero no excepcionales. No tenía grandes esperanzas de que estuviera apta para el consumo pero... PREMIO. El tapón ha sido todo un reto, habré estado unos …

1942 vintage

Raisin, raisin, raisin, unfortunately my bottle is just past its peak. Still showing its depth, dark cherries, note of vanilla, vinsmooth, nice acidic backbone. Too bad, really like this wine, looking forward to the 09 and 10 vintages to be released. Be disappointed for 5 Seconds and move on is the wise advice of a friend, trying so hard ��☺️��

2000 vintage

SMD at New Ubin Seafood (New Ubin Seafood, Lam Soon Building) : Wne of the night by quite a distance. This was amazing. What a nose it had - a hint of vanillin to start, then deep draws of dark cherries and wild berries, a pinch of dill maybe, then a bit of earth, and a whole explosion of dried flowers, almost potpourri-like. There were aromatic fireworks in that bouquet. The palate was really full and complete as well. There …

1970 vintage

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Marques de Murrieta, Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, Rioja

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