A corker (good) of a wine from CASTILLO YGAY (Ctra. de Zaragoza, Km 5, 26006 Logroño Telephone: +34 941 271 370) of Spain. Rich wonderful deep ripe fruits assault the palate, bursting cherry’s and plums ofset with mellow rounded light woody and leather notes. The is a earthy spicy finish that rounds this wine off very well. Price about 30€ a bottle.
© The Wine Connoisseur
PRODUCTION AREA: Ygay Estate. D.O.Ca. Rioja
GRAPE VARIETIES: 75% Tempranillo, 13% Mazuelo, 10% Red Garnacha and 2%
Graciano.
FERMENTATION: In stainless steel tanks with a 30,000 l capacity, under
controlled temperature conditions. The fermentation lasts for 11-15 days during
which time constant daily routines are carried out, including “remontage” and
“pigeage” processes, to let the grape must come into contact with the skins and
allow each wine to start defining its own character.
TYPE OF CASK: American oak casks with a 225 l capacity.
BARREL AGEING: 4 years in American oak casks, 225 Ls.
BOTTLE AGEING: A minimum of 3 years before presenting/displaying it to the
market.
TASTING NOTES: Deep cherry with brick red edges. Powerful, highly spicy aroma
(leather, cigar box, pipe tobacco, pepper), jammy notes (plum) and liquorice, with
suggestions of delicately polished wood and reduction (leather). Meaty and heady
on the palate, rich in retro-nasal spiced overtones, and well-structured fruit and
wood tannins.
RECOMMENDED DISHES: Red meats, huntings and cheeses.
IDEAL CONSUMPTION TEMPERATURE: To 16-18º C.
BEST TIME FOR CONSUMPTION: The wine will continue to improve in the bottle
for the next 10-15 years.
ANALYTICAL DETERMINATIONS
Total Alcohol Content …………………… 13.40 %
Total acidity (tartaric acid) ……………… 7.40 g/l
Volatile acidity (acetic acid) ………………0.70 g/l
History of CASTILLO YGAY
Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta was founded by Luciano Francisco Ramon de Murrieta, a man born in Peru, of all places, in 1822. His life in South America was short-lived, however, as in 1824 the battle of Ayacucho saw Peru secure its independence from the Spaniards, and the Murrieta family left for a new life in England. Here Luciano spent a lot of time with his uncle, General Rivero de Murrieta, who worked in the city as a banker, and reputedly had spent much of his life acquainting himself with the fine wines of the world. With his coming of age, however, Luciano enlisted in the Spanish armed forces, although he continued to live his life between Spain and London. As a consequence Luciano was conscious not only of a wine-thirsty market in London, but also of the huge quantity and diversity of wines that Spain potentially had to offer; when Luciano returned to Spain for good in 1844, the die was cast. Luciano had decided to make great wine, and to export it to discerning customers worldwide.
In 1848 he travelled to Bordeaux, to study; four years later he had returned to Rioja and was making wine. Another four years saw the first serious commercial exploit, as Murrieta waved goodbye to 100 barrels of Rioja, en route for Mexico and Cuba. Although one half of the cargo was lost, what reached the shore was a resounding success. Luciano continued in wine, and eventually, in 1878, he purchased his own estate at Ygay, not far from Logroño. His venture was a resounding success, sufficiently so for Queen Isabel II, who had enticed her loyal servant back to Spain following her coronation in 1844, to confer on him the title of Marquesado de Murrieta; and so the estate of Marqués de Murrieta was born.
Luciano died a bachelor in 1911, at the venerable age of 89, and the estate passed to his nephew, Julián de Olivares, who held tenure until his death in 1977. The estate was then sold to Vicente Cebrián Sagarriga, Count of Creixell. Tragically, death once again stole the estate of its proprietor, and Vicente’s widow and children took the helm. It is Vicente’s son, Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga, with his sister Cristina, that now drives the estate forward, together with their whirlwind technical director Maria Vargas.
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