82% Tempranillo, 8% Graciano, 7% Mazuelo (a.k.a. Cariñena) & 3% Garnacha
WINE ADVOCATE 94+ POINTS - "The 2020 Rioja Reserva, their flagship wine, comes from the 300 hectares of estate vineyards. Here, Tempranillo is the backbone, making up 82% of the blend in the low-yielding vintage of 2019, complemented with 8% Graciano, 7% Mazuelo and 3% Garnacha. It has controlled ripeness at 14% alcohol, with a pH of 3.65 and 5.1 grams of acidity. I loved the aromatics here—floral and elegant, more in the style of the 2018 than the 2019. it's lighter, more elegant, fine-boned and has a silky texture and very fine tannins. Both 2019 and 2020 are very good, but 2020 is more my style. 980,000 bottles produced. It was bottled after 21 months in American oak barrels."
Going all the way back to 1852, the Marques de Murrieta estate of Castillo Ygay has been a benchmark winery for the historic Rioja region of Spain. Lately they've brought things to a new level: the 2010 vintage of their flagship Gran Reserva was named Wine Spectator's #1 Wine of the Year for 2020. But even their humble reserva wine has earned consistent praise with its modern take on Rioja, and is still one of the great values in the world of wine.
As is tradition here, they age in American oak, which brings prominent toasty vanilla and baking spice flavors, as well as a polished texture. But aging the wine less than the old school leaves a fresher fruit character up front, along with a firmer bed of tannin for a greater sense of structure. This style, backed by years of experience and recent upgrades in the winery, yields a crowd-pleaser whose quality can easily go up against today's stylish wines that cost more. And at this price, it's an easy choice to impress at your next get-together!
WINE ADVOCATE 94+ POINTS - "The 2020 Rioja Reserva, their flagship wine, comes from the 300 hectares of estate vineyards. Here, Tempranillo is the backbone, making up 82% of the blend in the low-yielding vintage of 2019, complemented with 8% Graciano, 7% Mazuelo and 3% Garnacha. It has controlled ripeness at 14% alcohol, with a pH of 3.65 and 5.1 grams of acidity. I loved the aromatics here—floral and elegant, more in the style of the 2018 than the 2019. it's lighter, more elegant, fine-boned and has a silky texture and very fine tannins. Both 2019 and 2020 are very good, but 2020 is more my style. 980,000 bottles produced. It was bottled after 21 months in American oak barrels."
Going all the way back to 1852, the Marques de Murrieta estate of Castillo Ygay has been a benchmark winery for the historic Rioja region of Spain. Lately they've brought things to a new level: the 2010 vintage of their flagship Gran Reserva was named Wine Spectator's #1 Wine of the Year for 2020. But even their humble reserva wine has earned consistent praise with its modern take on Rioja, and is still one of the great values in the world of wine.
As is tradition here, they age in American oak, which brings prominent toasty vanilla and baking spice flavors, as well as a polished texture. But aging the wine less than the old school leaves a fresher fruit character up front, along with a firmer bed of tannin for a greater sense of structure. This style, backed by years of experience and recent upgrades in the winery, yields a crowd-pleaser whose quality can easily go up against today's stylish wines that cost more. And at this price, it's an easy choice to impress at your next get-together!
Overall Rating
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