Castillo Ygay 1946 Blanco Reserva Especial

Wine: Castillo Ygay 1946 Blanco Reserva Especial

Winery: Marqués de Murrieta (Logroño, La Rioja)
Appellation / Region: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 92% Viura, 8% Malvasía
ABV: 12.8%
Winemaking

Grapes sourced from the "Pago la Plana" plot, at the highest point of the Ygay Estate. The wine underwent fermentation in large, foundational-era oak vats for 30 days before being racked for aging. It was matured for a period exceeding 20 years in old 225-liter American oak barrels. Bottled directly from the cask in the early 1970s (exact dates unavailable). Most bottles were cellared for a minimum of 10 years in the winery's underground racks prior to release, though the first batches reached the market in 1973. The corks are replaced every 20 years.

 

Tasting Notes 

 

Appearance: At first glance, it appears to be a mirror image of the 1940 vintage: dark amber and luminous, with a slight sediment at the base. It conveys a great sense of density, featuring golden and orange highlights and immense, permanent legs (tears).

 

Nose: Upon opening, it overwhelms with its power and expressiveness. An initial "tótum revolútum" makes it difficult to perceive everything at once: minerals, flint, gunpowder, seashells, and oscillating notes of iodine and seaweed. These gradually give way to an impressive Viura of abyssal depth. It sits far apart from a classic Rioja style; it is unclassifiable. Mature and immensely complex, revealing toasted details, aromatic coffee, candied fruit, silica, honey, aromatic herbs, botanicals, balsams, lemon brine, whey, and nettles. A masterclass in tasting in its own right. It leads us into unfamiliar territory, growing relentlessly until it sheds every reductive patina to stand bare—stripped of artifice and deception. Pure, true, and deeply moving.

 

Palate: On the palate, it is a surge of energy—a whip-crack. Its acidity is entirely improbable, spearheading everything that follows. Details can only be perceived through the retro-nasal passage: fully candied, with nuances of wood, chocolate bonbon, and ultra-fine vanilla. It does not leave the palate for hours and leaves the glass perfumed for a lifetime. A monumental wine, insultingly perfect, bordering on the divine and abstracting us from mundane sorrows. We could not have chosen a better day to open it than Santo Tomás, December 21st, amidst the Bilbao festivities. Like the Doubting Thomas, we say: "seeing is believing," or better yet, "drinking is believing." An insubordinate, titanic white that ignores the laws of time and, like the greatest, still possesses a slight margin for improvement. Something of this caliber cannot be crafted by chance; at this level, coincidence does not exist. A Castillo Ygay with the rare virtue of provoking disbelief and silence. Words are futile here. We were left speechless.

 

Personal Score: 99
Tasting Group Score: [Not specified]