97 points Tim Atkin, MW: "Following on from the 2005 and 2007 releases, this is another stylish, complex, world-class red from Vicente Cebrián and María Vargas, with 19% Mazuelo providing the backbone of this ageworthy wine. The heat of the vintage has put plenty of flesh on the bones, complementing the savoury, spicy elegance. The tannins and acidity add balance and refinement. What a wine! 2025-40. (2018)”
96 points Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate): "Marqués de Murrieta didn't produce their top red in 2008, so I tasted the 2009 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. In 2009, the final blend was Tempranillo with 19% Mazuelo (or Cariñena), one of the highest percentages of Mazuelo ever. The grapes are now sourced from the La Plana vineyard within the Ygay estate, one of the higher-altitude plots at 485 meters. The grapes fermented and aged separately, the Tempranillo in American oak barrels and the Mazuelo in French barriques for 26 months, given its power. It has that seriousness, character and somehow rusticity of the Mazuelo, austere, harmonious and still young. It has good depth and concentration, still young and lively with fine tannins and a backbone of freshness that lifts it up. It will develop for a very long time in bottle. This is a great classical Rioja for the long haul. Drink: 2018-2035. (Feb 2018)"
95 points James Suckling: "A special Rioja that’s traditional, but not old-fashioned. Dusty, licorice and spice nose with red fruit. A cool and elegant wine, in spite of the concentration. Long, firm finish. Expands with aeration. From vines planted in 1945. Drink or hold. (12/26/18)"
95 points Wine & Spirits
94+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2009 vintage of Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial from Marqués de Murrieta is composed of a blend of eighty-one percent Tempranillo and nineteen percent Mazuelo. The wine was aged twenty-six months in American casks prior to bottling. The wine is quite black fruity out of the blocks (eleven years of age is toddler age for Castillo Ygay!), offering up a lovely and still fairly primary bouquet of black cherries, dark berries, cigar wrapper, a touch of aged balsamico, gentle notes of clove, a beautifully complex base of salty soil tones, nutskin, just a hint of celery salt and a lovely foundation of slightly spicy American oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and velvety, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil signature and grip, buried, moderate tannins and a very long, complex and classy finish. Castillo Ygay ages almost forever, so it seems sacrilege to suggest that this wine is drinking beautifully at age eleven, but it is really delicious already. That said, the bouquet shows that the wine still is only in its primary stage of complexity and will be far more complex if patience is exercised and the wine given another decade or two in the cellar. Fine, fine juice! 2020-2100. (Nov/Dec 2020)"
96 points Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate): "Marqués de Murrieta didn't produce their top red in 2008, so I tasted the 2009 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. In 2009, the final blend was Tempranillo with 19% Mazuelo (or Cariñena), one of the highest percentages of Mazuelo ever. The grapes are now sourced from the La Plana vineyard within the Ygay estate, one of the higher-altitude plots at 485 meters. The grapes fermented and aged separately, the Tempranillo in American oak barrels and the Mazuelo in French barriques for 26 months, given its power. It has that seriousness, character and somehow rusticity of the Mazuelo, austere, harmonious and still young. It has good depth and concentration, still young and lively with fine tannins and a backbone of freshness that lifts it up. It will develop for a very long time in bottle. This is a great classical Rioja for the long haul. Drink: 2018-2035. (Feb 2018)"
95 points James Suckling: "A special Rioja that’s traditional, but not old-fashioned. Dusty, licorice and spice nose with red fruit. A cool and elegant wine, in spite of the concentration. Long, firm finish. Expands with aeration. From vines planted in 1945. Drink or hold. (12/26/18)"
95 points Wine & Spirits
94+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2009 vintage of Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial from Marqués de Murrieta is composed of a blend of eighty-one percent Tempranillo and nineteen percent Mazuelo. The wine was aged twenty-six months in American casks prior to bottling. The wine is quite black fruity out of the blocks (eleven years of age is toddler age for Castillo Ygay!), offering up a lovely and still fairly primary bouquet of black cherries, dark berries, cigar wrapper, a touch of aged balsamico, gentle notes of clove, a beautifully complex base of salty soil tones, nutskin, just a hint of celery salt and a lovely foundation of slightly spicy American oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and velvety, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil signature and grip, buried, moderate tannins and a very long, complex and classy finish. Castillo Ygay ages almost forever, so it seems sacrilege to suggest that this wine is drinking beautifully at age eleven, but it is really delicious already. That said, the bouquet shows that the wine still is only in its primary stage of complexity and will be far more complex if patience is exercised and the wine given another decade or two in the cellar. Fine, fine juice! 2020-2100. (Nov/Dec 2020)"
| Product SKU | 333969 |
| Producer | Marqués de Murrieta |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Rioja |
| Varietal | Tempranillo/Tinto Fino |
| Designation | Gran Reserva |
| Vintage | 2009 |
| Size | 750ml |
| Color | Red |
| Blend | 81% Tempranillo, 19% Mazuelo |
| ABV | 14.0% |
| Ships To |
