1959 Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial
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Tasting notes
In the 1950s and 1960s, Castillo Ygay was a wine built for extremely long aging. Bottled in 1986 after more than 300 months of élevage, the 1959 Castillo Ygay (68% Tempranillo, 14% Garnacha, 14% Mazuelo, 4% Graciano) opens with high-toned yet integrated volatile lift. It then moves into candied-fruit tones of dates and caramel alongside herbs and flowers, plus striking, wasabi-like savory nuances that feel utterly of another era. The acidity is high, the tannins are delicate and deeply shaped by long aging, and the oak defines how the flavors flow. On the finish, saffron appears, while the volatile edge gives nerve and life. A total rarity—late-bottled old Rioja at its most singular.
Critic scores
James Suckling
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
This is a fabulous bottle with tobacco, cedar, salted caramel, tangy acidity, hints of balsamic, and candied orange. It\'s medium-bodied with ripe and beautiful fruit and a long, long finish. Tangy at the finish. Bottled in 1986. That\'s 400 months in barrel. What...? Incredible.
1959 was another stellar vintage in Rioja, and they bottled a 1959 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva, the first with "Gran Reserva" mentioned on the label. This was produced with 68% Tempranillo, 14% each Mazuelo and Garnacha and 4% Graciano, a vintage with more Garnacha than all the vintages except the older ones. It spent six months in tank, 46 months in fairly new barrels and 254 months in neutral American oak barrels whose insides were encrusted with tartrates and behaved like a more neutral (almost like a glass-lined) container. This has 13% alcohol and 7.4 grams of acidity, 0.8 grams of volatility and a pH of 3.03. Another very good year on record with 506 liters of rain, more than the average. This was released in 1991. There is a plus of finesse in this vintage, ripe and powerful but with some notes of cherries in liqueur that reminded me of the 1934. This is still fresh and lively with a long life ahead of it. It's aromatic, complex and nuanced, with spices, smoke, cigar ash and a touch of volatility that gives it freshness. This has a little more meat, a little more elegance and roundness. It develops notes of mushroom and forest floor, and it's very lively. Amazing.