Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2012

Castillo Ygay is one of Rioja's century-old labels, designed after the screen-printed labels of the region's first wines. Indeed, it was one of the first wines born in Rioja, when French growers hit by phylloxera came to the area for supplies. A must-try to understand what a classic Rioja adapted to the times is, always backed by international critics, as shown by the 100 Suckling points for this 2012 vintage.

James Suckling: So many notes of dried flowers, mushrooms, iron, rust, sweet red fruit and grilled orange. Full-bodied, with very elegant, refined tannins that melt in the mouth and give a real sense of terroir and integrity. Balanced and harmonious. The finesse and finish are endless. Production was 30% lower than in 2011. Already delicious to drink. A wonderful future. This is the new 1934 or 1964, two legends. Drink now or hold.

Tim Atkin: There will be no Castillo Ygay reds in 2013, 2014 or 2015, so its many fans would do well to stock up now. Made in a vintage María Vargas considers exceptional, this wine blends Tempranillo with 19% Mazuelo. Aged in American and a smaller amount of French oak, it has attractive aromas of balsam, tobacco leaf and aromatic spices, along with wonderful structure and depth, layers of blackberry, fig and red fruit, and a persistent, acid-driven finish. 2026-2040.

The Wine Advocate: I retasted the 2012 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, as the wine was not made in 2013, 2014 or 2015, and the 2016 will only be released in 2027. The next vintages will be 2017, 2019 and 2021. The 2012 is a blend of 81% Tempranillo and 19% Mazuelo (Cariñena) from the La Plana plot on the Ygay estate, planted in 1950 at 485 metres, the highest on the property. The Tempranillo was picked between 17 and 19 September and the Mazuelo on 25 September. The bunches were destemmed and lightly pressed to ferment in stainless steel for 10 days, with constant pumping over and délestages. The Tempranillo aged for 34 months in American oak barrels, while the Mazuelo spent the same 34 months in French barrels; they were then blended and moved to concrete tanks for another 20 months. The wine has 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.65 and 5.8 grams of acidity (measured as tartaric acid per litre). It's spicy, with abundant notes of forest floor, truffles, dry leaves, cigar ash and cedar, with a very tasty, almost saline palate. It's evolving slowly and should last forever... 103,216 bottles, 3,121 magnums and some larger formats were produced. It was bottled in May 2019. (Luis Gutiérrez)