Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Reserva is a blend of 86% Tempranillo, 8% Garnacha Tinta, 4% Mazuelo and 2% Graciano from their own vineyards, which were hand-harvested between October 2 and 27. The grapes, which are selected from different plots to display the character of Ygay, fermented in inox vats and the wine aged for eighteen months in American oak barrels, eight of them in new barrels and the rest in used ones. It also matured in bottle for two years before being put on the market. An impressive 1.5 million bottles were produced. It has strong balsamic notes of incense, smoked meat, leather, fennel and cherries, which make it feel very Rioja. The palate is medium-bodied, balanced, with great acidity and freshness. A serious vintage of Murrieta Reserva that represents great balance between tradition and modernity. Drink 2014-2028.
-
Wine Spectator
This generous red offers ripe plum, roasted fig and chocolate flavors, with notes of licorice and baking spices. The plump texture is supported by well-integrated tannins and gentle acidity. Smart Buy
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.