Marqués de Murrieta Castillo Ygay, Gran Reserva Especial, 2011
Marqués de Murrieta Castillo Ygay, Gran Reserva Especial, 2011
- 75cl
- 14%
- Red Still
- Tempranillo, Mazuelo
- Organic
- Biodynamic
Couldn't load pickup availability
Optimal drinking window: Now - 2040
Est. delivery in September, 2026
Castillo Ygay is one of Rioja's great historic estates, and this Gran Reserva Especial is its flagship red — a wine that has been made in exceptional years only since the 1870s.
The 2011 is predominantly Tempranillo with Mazuelo, aged for years in American and French oak before extended bottle rest. At fifteen years old it is hitting its stride: the oak has long since melted into the wine, the fruit has moved from fresh to something deeper and more brooding, and the whole thing has that particular Riojan calm that only age can bring.
What the critics say:
"Fantastic structure to this with a mouthfeel of compacted velvet as well as crunchy acidity. Black truffle. Black berry. Light balsamic. It's full and layered with a powerful tannin structure and a flavorful finish. Decant two hours before serving. Drink or hold."
"The 2011 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial was produced with a blend of 84% Tempranillo and 16% Mazuelo (Cariñena) from a plot called La Plana that was planted in 1950 at 485 meters in altitude, the highest in the Ygay property. The grapes were picked between September 17 and 22, and the Mazuelo was later, on September 28. The bunches were destemmed and lightly crushed and put to ferment in stainless steel for 11 days with constant pump-overs and punch-downs. The Tempranillo matured for 28 months in American oak barrels and the Mazuelo for 28 months in French barriques. It's 14% alcohol and has a pH of 3.65 with 5.6 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter). It's very tough to follow a vintage like 2010, and 2011 was not an easy year; the wine is possibly more powerful and concentrated but keeping the freshness, with a longer élevage but very young and lively, with an elegant texture and mouthfeel, great balance and elegance. The wine feels lively, and it seems impossible that it has been in bottle for over six years. It has the classical profile with the effect of the American oak barrels, cigar box, cedar wood, sweet spices—aromatic, intoxicating, complex. This should age very slowly and for a very long time. 131,668 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2016. No 2013, 2014 or 2015 will be produced. They have a 2012, and they will jump from that to 2016. The 2012 will be released in late 2023 or early 2024 and the 2016 in 2027 or 2028. Fingers crossed..."
The Castillo Ygay estate sits at around 450 metres above sea level in the Rioja Alta subzone, where the influence of the Atlantic moderates what might otherwise be a punishing continental climate. Soils are a mix of chalky clay and limestone-rich alluvium, which retain moisture through dry summers and give the wines their characteristic brightness and mineral spine. The altitude and the cold nights during the growing season are key — they preserve acidity in the Tempranillo and slow the ripening process in a way that builds rather than inflates.
Rioja Alta DOCa sits in the western, cooler part of the Rioja appellation, where Atlantic influence shapes wines of greater finesse and acidity than those from the warmer Rioja Oriental to the east. The DOCa (Denominación de Origen Calificada) was the first appellation in Spain to achieve the highest quality classification, granted in 1991. Gran Reserva status requires a minimum of five years ageing, at least two in oak — though estates like Murrieta routinely exceed this. Rioja Alta has long been considered the heartland of classic, age-worthy Spanish red wine.
The 2011 vintage in Rioja arrived after a growing season that kept producers on their toes. Spring brought welcome rainfall after a dry winter, but summer turned challenging with periods of intense heat followed by cooler spells that slowed ripening. September rains threatened the harvest timing, forcing many bodegas to pick earlier than ideal or wait and gamble on better weather windows.
What emerged was a vintage of two faces: those who picked early captured bright acidity and freshness, whilst those who held their nerve through the autumn uncertainty were rewarded with more concentrated fruit. The Tempranillo shows particular vibrancy here, with red berry flavours that feel immediate and approachable rather than the more structured, age-demanding style of classic Rioja years. We find these wines drinking beautifully now through 2026, offering that rare pleasure of serious Rioja that doesn't demand decades in your cellar.
OUR GROWERS
Marqués de Murrieta
Explore related wines
-
-
Speak to one of our Wine Gurus
Speak to a Wine GuruWith years of experience, our team can help you with all your wine buying and selling needs