Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Tasting: The Heyday of Rioja

We just published this year's annual report on Spanish wines, covering more than 3,800 of the country’s newest releases or those soon to be released to market – many of them vibrant, highly drinkable offerings that reflect a dynamic transformation in the Spanish winescape. But it’s some of the older vintages from the country that really take our breaths away, and a vertical tasting of Castillo Ygay at Bodega Marques de Murrieta did just that, transporting us back to the heyday of Rioja wines with a nostalgic dip into nine vintages dating from 1934 to 2012.

The tasting, with Marques de Murrieta owner Vicente Dalmau and winemaker Maria Vargas, struck an emotional chord for James and me, as is reflected in the tasting notes and scores. After decades of aging, many of the wines have morphed into something truly unique yet transparent, with compelling complexity and energy.

In the more extensively aged wines, the boundary between the red and white wines has become blurry, as exemplified by the 1968 Castillo Ygay against the Pazo Barrantes Albariño Rías Baixas 1989, which both delivered captivating, well-aged character of saffron, white truffles and cedary hinges.

Most notably, we were awe-inspiringly impressed with the remarkable condition of some of the wines, including the 1934, 1959, the legendary 1964 (with two bottles uncorked), and the extraordinarily well-structured yet beautifully decadent 2001.

We believe the Castilllo Ygay wines' impeccable balance and enduring nature can be traced back to the harmony achieved in their youth, which might also vindicate their extensive aging in American oak barrels. Remember, Castillo Ygays are known for their endless honeymoons with oak, with some spending decades in the barrels.

For example, the 1964 vintage was aged for just over 22 years in new and old American oak barrels, the 1959 was bottled after an impressive 25 and a half years' aging in barrels, and the 1934 Ygay was aged 38 years! 1968 was bottled in January 1983, after 14 years of intimate contact with the barrels.

Today, Castillo Ygay is exclusively released in excellent or exceptional vintages – a selection from Ygay’s 40-hectare La Plana vineyard, which sits at an altitude of 485 meters. The vintage being released this coming winter is the 2012, a year that saw 30 percent less volume compared with 2011, mainly owing to the severe drought conditions. Around 100,000 bottles were filled in 2012.

"2012 was probably not an excellent vintage for Rioja, but it was very good regarding the vini-viti aspect. Yet, when it hits the barrels we feel the aging potential of the wines is huge," said Maria Vargas, whose winemaking journey began in 1995 at Murrieta, the storied family winery with a history of 172 years.

"I've been working here for 30 years, and I have never seen such complexity after the second year of aging in the barrels, a time during which we will finally decide if it will become a year that we release Castillo Ygay."

According to Dalmau, there will be a hiatus for the subsequent three vintages of Castillo Ygay. "The next vintage after 2012 will be 2016, and it won't be released until probably 2029," he said.

The 2012 is a blend of 81 percent tempranillo and 19 percent mazuelo, with much-reduced contact in barrel – 34 months in 225-liter American oak barrels for tempranillo and 34 months in 225-liter French oak barrels for the mazuelo. James believes it will be a splendid addition to the esteemed Ygay line.

Explore the tasting notes to discover the remarkable aging potential and splendor of some of Rioja's finest wines.

– Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor