Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Blanco Gran Reserva Especial 1986

Lobenberg: 1986 ist ein ganz großes Jahr in der Rioja und auch Ribera. Rot und weiß. Der weiße Ygay 86 ist schon lange eine lebende Legende und ein Mythos der Weingeschichte. Über 20 Jahre im Fass. Tondonia Gran Reserva und vielleicht sogar besser. 100+/100

Robert Parker: I have been terribly excited about this wine since I first learned that (part of) it was still in cement waiting to be bottled in September 2013. I consider the rare white Castillo Ygay one of the greatest white wines ever produced in Spain, and the 1986 Castillo Ygay Blanco Gran Reserva Especial is a great addition to the portfolio of the winery an historic wine that is coming back to life. I did a vertical tasting of many of the old, historic vintages of this wine, and they are included in a separate article in this very same issue. This 1986 had seen the light as a limited early release bottled in 1992 and sold around 1995, and some bottles might still be found in the market. But most of it remained unbottled and was kept at the winery, where it stayed in oak for 21 years, followed by some six years in cement vats until it was bottled. It has 13.5% alcohol, an extremely low pH of 2.98 and 6.75 grams of acidity (tartaric). It has a very subtle nose and it's a bit shy, a little closed at first. It was only bottled one and a half years ago, and it's not crazy to say that the wine is showing extremely young. The wine shows more open the day after, when it has developed some nuances of mushrooms and verbena tea. This is mostly Viura with perhaps a pinch of Malvasía Riojana (aka Alarije). The palate is both powerful and elegant, with superb acidity and great length, with volume and sharpness, with a mineral, umami-driven finish. It fills your mouth, tickles your taste buds and makes you salivate. There is nothing negative about the wine; there is no excess oak, nothing blurry, nothing to improve... perhaps the bottle used! I think this is a perfect wine. It seems to be getting younger and younger with time in the glass; it seems to be getting more focused and sharper, and I have no doubt the wine will evolve and last for a very, very, very long time in bottle. I kept the opened bottle for almost one week and the wine didn't move one inch no oxidation or any signs of fatigue. 100/100 (2016)

Falstaff: In der Nase Noten von Fiorentinern, buttrig, Apfel, gebraten und frisch. Dazu Orangenzeste und Kumquat. Ein wenig Safran. Am Gaumen wunderschöner Schmelz, leicht oxidativ, Apfel, Pilz, salzig, unendlich lang. Grossartig! 100/100

James Suckling: This is a triumph. An amazing white showing roasted pineapple, dried apple, flowers and hints of lemon curd on the nose. Hints of almonds, too. Full-body, closed and tight with amazing depth and beauty. Waxy, salty, and creamy. Goes on for minutes. 21 years in wood, seven in concrete and then about three years in bottle. First year since 1978. Viura with a hint of malvasia. I have the same mind-tingling sensation tasting this as tasting the 1964 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco. Another perfect wine. 8,000 bottles made. 100/100 (2016)

Vinum Wine Magazine: Was für ein Wein! 252 Monate in amerikanischen Barriques gereift, danach 67 Monate in Betontanks und schliesslich noch 36 Monate in der Flasche. In der Nase vornehm zurückhaltend und extrem vielschichtig, mit Noten von Nüssen, getrockneten Kräutern, salzige Mineralik. Im Gaumen sensationell frisch. 19/20

Jancis Robinson: 97% Viura, 3% Malvasía. After the pioneers came the inventors, such as Murietta, said Pedro Ballesteros MW, presenting the wines. Sourced from the Capellanía vineyard, planted in 1945 and located on a plateau at an elevation of 485 m, in the highest area of their 300-ha Ygay estate in Rioja Alta. Whole-bunch pressed, fermented in an American oak vat and aged 25 months in 225-litre American oak barrels and then for 67 months in concrete tanks. Deep, bright gold. Gorgeous golden aroma of honey and cedar, sour apricot, dried grasses – marked by the oxidative winemaking and ageing. Deeply fresh/sour (in a good way) and still so much fruit, expressed in apricot and bitter orange. Both rounded and deep in texture. A touch smoky as it opens, but mostly it is the baked apple and baked quince – ie with a hint of something sour – of long ageing. Incredible freshness balances the depth and breadth of flavours. 18/20