Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2001 Magnum

James Suckling: This is a breathtaking red that speaks of the unique area and soul of Rioja with decadent aromas and flavors of ripe berries, mushrooms, forest floor, iron, and crushed stones. Full and velvety with incredible length and presence. Drink or hold. 100/100

Falstaff: Kräftiges Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, breiterer Ockerrand. Zarter Nugat, nussig unterlegtes dunkles Beerenkonfit, ein Hauch von Honig, ein Hauch von Pflaumen, dezente Edelholzwürze. Komplex, saftig, etwas kraftvoller, reife süße Tannine, schokoladiger Touch im Abgang, verfügt über ein breites aromatisches Profil, stoffig und lange, verfügt über Riesenpotenzial, hat eine erste Trinkreife erreicht, sicheres weiteres Reifepotenzial für mehrere Jahrzehnte. 98/100

Penin: Farbe: Rubin, ziegelroter Saum Aroma: elegant, würzig, feine Reduktionsnoten, feuchtes Leder, Noten von Tischlerei, leicht alkoholisch, aromatischer Kaffee Geschmack: würzig, feinkörnige Tannine, elegant, lang 97/100

Robert Parker: 2001 was the height of ripeness, extraction and oak use in Rioja, and even classic wines like the 2001 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial showed higher alcohol, at 14%, than any of the other 20 vintages I tasted in this vertical tasting. The wine is a majority of Tempranillo with 7% Mazuelo, as there's no more Garnacha or Graciano from here onwards. The wine matured in American oak barrels for 31 months. This is the first wine from the new era; when they selected the specific plot to produce the wine from here onwards, they decided to age the Tempranillo in American oak, as was the tradition, and the Mazuelo in French oak. I found more integrated oak than I expected in the wine, and there's balance, in a different style than before, with higher alcohol and ripeness, with more color, extraction and oak but without excess. This is a lot more modern, even if their model was the 1959 vintage. 95/100