The best wine in the world - Castillo Ygay 2010
As an importer of Marques de Murrieta, we are extremely proud that the Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2010 has been voted Best Wine in the World 2020.
Great wineries are not built in a day. It takes years to develop a vineyard and make a wine that expresses its origin and culture distinctively. This year, a benchmark winery in Spain showed how a long-term project can lead to remarkable success.
Castillo Ygay is Murrieta's flagship. Coming from a plot of 98 hectares planted in 1950, it is made only in prime years. It is a blend of mainly Tempranillo, aged in American oak barrels, with a small percentage of Mazuelo, aged in French oak. The wine matures in the wine cellar for a decade before being released.
The 2010 vintage is Rioja's best vintage to date this century. Rich, yet harmonious, this wine should drink well for decades.
This Rioja shows how tradition and innovation can work together to deliver great wines. For its history, its quality, and to remind us of the value of dedication and vision, the Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2010 in Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year for 2020.
The winery Marques de Murrieta
The 2010 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial was voted the best wine in the world in 2020, but the story of this winery begins many years before that. In 1852 Luciano Murrieta started exporting wines.
The winery Marques de Murrieta has approximately 300 hectares of vineyards. Grapes such as Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Viura are grown on these vineyards. Marques de Murrieta is all about the highest quality, and they make classic Rioja.
Tradition plays a big part in this winery. However, this does not mean that the winery is standing still. The founder's son has always said, "you have to constantly change everything so that everything can stay the same".
The family has demolished the old company building and rebuilt it almost the same, but equipped with modern gadgets. And that's how the wines are created: they keep getting better but never lose their identity.
Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Blanco 1986
In addition to the award-winning 2010 Ygay, Marques de Murrieta also has a white Ygay.
The Ygay Blanco has received 100 points. It is difficult to get 100 points for a bottle of wine, but for a bottle of white wine, it is almost impossible! This was the first Spanish white wine with a 100 point score.
The wine is mainly made from Viura (97%), with a little Malvasia (3%), from a vineyard planted in 1945 and located in the highest part of the Ygay estate at 485 meters altitude in La Rioja Alta. The wine is aged for 252 months in 225-liter American oak barriques and 67 months in concrete tanks.
Wines from Marques de Murrieta
Given the high scores on the pre-named wines, it is clear that the winery produces quality wines. Marques de Murrieta also has other amazing wines in their range.
Marques de Murrieta Reserva Finca Ygay - $
Several wines come from the Ygay vineyard, including the Marques de Murrieta Reserva Finca Ygay.
The Marques de Murrieta Finca Ygay can best be described as a beautiful classic red wine from the Rioja Alta, which is, without doubt, the very best part of this famous Spanish wine region. The altitude provides coolness and a difference between the day and night temperatures, and this is an important element that gives a wine its sophistication and elegance.
Marqués de Murrieta is one of the oldest wineries of the Rioja and is a winery with a 'Bordeaux injection'.
Marques de Murrieta Reserva 0.5 ltr - $
There is also a version of the Finca Ygay in 0.5 L!
Like the Marques de Murrieta Finca Ygay, the small version is a blend of 80% Tempranillo, 12% Graciano, 6% Mazuelo, 2% Garnacha. The wine was aged for 18 months in new oak (225-liter barriques) and then aged for at least another 12 months in the bottle.
Marques de Murrieta Gran Reserva Limited Edition - $$
The Marques de Murrieta Gran Reserva Limited Edition also comes from Ygay's vineyards. The wine matured for 29 months in 225-liter oak barrels, and after, was aged for another three years in the cellar.