Rioja Gran Reserva Especial 'Castillo Ygay' Marques de Murrieta 2011

Castillo Ygay is Marques de Murrieta's top cuvee. It's an amazing expression of Rioja and has one of the wine world's most iconic labels. It is always made from grapes sourced from La Plana, a single vineyard, planted in 1950 and located on a plateau at the highest point of the estate, at 485 metres above sea level. It is made from a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Mazuelo, aged for 24 months in French oak and aged for a further eight years at the estate before release.

Marques de Murrieta was the first estate to establish the concept of a “Chateau” in the iconic La Rioja region of Spain. Luciano Murrieta produced his first wine in 1852 after travelling to Bordeaux where he was heavily influenced by the area’s structure and wine-making techniques. At the time, the idea of building a castle or chateau with the vineyards around it was unheard of in Spain, but by the 1870s he had his castle and surrounding 300 hectares of vineyards. The estate was purchased in 1983 by the Cebrian-Sagarriga family, who meticulously rebuilt the castle between 2007 and 2014 and turned it into what can only be described as a modern-day Bond villain’s lair, complete with restaurant, museum, underground cellar network and one of the finest lounges in Europe.