Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2011 750ml

98 Points - James Suckling: "Marvelous aromas of crushed berries, tobacco, cedar and mushrooms. Some dried cheese. Then turns to flowers. Very complex. Full and intense with fantastic depth and power. It goes on for minutes. It is a wine that exudes tradition but gives a sense of modernity with precise winemaking. Two years in oak, one in concrete and three or four in bottle. Drink on release and age onwards."

Origin: Rioja, Spain

Varietals: 81% Tempranillo, 19% Mazuelo.

Notes: Only the finest vintages from the 741-acre Ygay Estate are used to make Castillo Ygay. This Gran Reserva Especial is made from tempranillo and mazuelo from vineyards located at 485 meters above sea level. Limited in production and sought after all over the world, it is the worthy choice for the winery's emblematic Castillo Ygay label.

The grapes are manually harvested from an 80-year-old single-vineyard called La Plana, located at the highest peak within the Ygay Estate which surrounds the winery in the southern point of the Rioja Alta wine subzone. Fermentation takes around two weeks, during which we pump over and punch down the cap in order to extract aromas and poliphenols slowly and naturally. The tempranillo was harvested on October 6th and the mazuelo on October 21st.

Winemaking: Bunches are de-stemmed and gently crushed, before being racked into stainless steel vats. Fermentation takes around eleven days, during which we pump over and punch down the cap in order to extract aromas and poliphenols slowly and naturally.

Ageing Process: The wine is aged for 26 months in 225-litre American and French oak barrels. 

Pairing: Poached turbot in its pil-pil sauce slightly baked, crunchy purple garlic crumbs; candied and regenerated Bresse pigeon, couliflower and red wine macerated pear; baked beef sirloin, cameroon black pepper and wild mushrooms; roasted suckling pig with baked acid apple.

Serving Suggestions: We recommend decanting the wine for 20 minutes and serve at around 14°-16° C to let the wine breathe and show its full aromatic potential.