Marqués de Murrieta 2007 Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

Marqués de Murrieta is inexorably linked to the origins of Rioja wine since Luciano Murrieta produced the first Rioja in 1852. Luciano, appointed Marquis by the King Amadeo of Savoy thanks to his work in Rioja, travelled to Bordeaux to learn the winemaking techniques that he introduced later in Spain. He established the concept of “château” in the Ygay Estate where he built the emblematic Ygay Castle. This iconic wine is the flagship of the estate. Exclusively produced only in the best vintages from their finest vineyard blocks. 86% Tempranillo and 14% Mazuelo, aging is 28 months in oak barrels; French oak for Mazuelo and American for Tempranillo. The first 10 months in new barrels. Before bottling and just after the final blending, the wine settles in concrete vessels. The wine spends at least 3 years in bottle before release. The Wine Advocate scored this 95+ and James Suckling scored this 98 points saying "The aromas of this show an amazing freshness of flowers and herbs such as lavender, rosemary, and violet. Then it goes to raspberry, candy and currants. Black licorice too. A truly great wine on the nose. Full-bodied, racy and linear. So polished. It's like a red ruby. 86% tempranillo and 14% mazuelo in the blend. For release in September 2015. Great length and future. Give it three years or so. Or decant two hours in advance."