Five legendary Murrieta Ygays – a great privilege to taste these wines from a cellar of a fellow collector. First the white 1986, which was intellectually pleasing and highly elegant, but didn‘t had the complexity I hoped for. The 1934 was the standout red and an incredibly wine. Softness and elegance, tension and freshness, wonderful old-wine sweetness, perfect balance and incredibly length – the complete package. The 1942 had a beautiful play of sweetness and tertiary aromas, but a touch of VA too. The 1959 belied its age and will still need a decade or two to peak. The nose screamed perfection with beautiful malty notes but the palate showed younger and less interesting at this point. The 2001 comes from the high ripeness/high extraction fine wine period and that showed. Good that fine wine world has moved in the past years.
Tasting Notes
Whites
1986 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Blanco, 93 Points
TN: At first a shy nose with subtle notes of yellow fruit, minerality, and herbal notes. Same yellow fruit on the palate, from fresh to baked, herbs, minerality. Very delicate wine with no edges but freshness and verve. After quite some air, the wine had its best phase with more expression and aromatic intensity. Honey and dill (?) notes, with fruit and minerality wrapped around it. Overall a good wine, intellectually pleasing but without the complexity to truly excite. A curiosity rather than a style that I would wanna drink regularly.
Decanting: Not decanted. This needs air. I would give it at least an hour in a decanter.
Reds
1934 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, 99 Points
Expressive, intense aromatics, yet all painted with the finest brushstrokes. Incredibly layered on the nose and palate with a intoxicating red fruit and malty sweetness at the core, blue fruit, cola, quite some mint, minerality, tobacco, truffles, underbrush. Wow. Superb precision. The softness, the creaminess, silkiness are to die for. There is good freshness and tension too, creating a perfectly balance wine. This is a masterpiece with no sign of weakness. A bottle like this would continue to improve for years and decades. Wow. 98/99pts
Decanting: Quick double decant 2-3 hours before which seemed perfect. Did hold up well for hours.
1942 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, 94 Points
This is a medium+ complex wine with a fresh dark and blue fruit core, minerality, smoke and minty notes around it. At first it misses a bit of sweetness, the acidity is a bit wild and too pronounced (hints of VA). With time the balance and harmony improve, and the wine gets more complex. A very good wine (94/95pts in the best moments, missing the depth and absolute elegance of the 1934).
Decanting: Quick double decant 2-3 hours before the tasting. It needed more air.
1959 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, 95 Points
This had a perfect old wine nose at first with intense malty notes at the core. The palate, however, showed younger with fresh primary fruit dominating, complemented by minerality, herbal notes, and with time tobacco as well as more sweetness. While good, obviously not as intoxicating and perfect as the nose or the 1934 befofe, but this 1959 (from a cold cellar, with very high fill) has everything to get there im one or the other decade. 95/96pts.
Decanting: Quick double decant 2-3 hours before. Evolved and got better with air
2001 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 90 Points
Very ripe nose, very ripe palate, slightly alcoholic. There is fresher fruit too, but also jammy and cooked fruit. The complexity is good but obviously not on the level of the older vintages. The structural frame is good, with an airy texture and no excess weight. Overall ok, but not great.
Decanting: Quick double decant 2-3 hours before, it needed a bit more air and improved in the glass.
Author: Andy Schnyder
November 2024