The 2012 Gran Reserva Especial Castillo Ygay is 81% Tempranillo and 19% Mazuelo sourced from La Plana vineyard, planted on the Ygay Estate, Rioja Alta. Aged for 34 months in French and American oak barrels, this wine offers displays a garnet color with a brick sheen. It reveals a complex aroma of bee wax, dried flowers, cassis, sour cherry, cedar and vanilla, with a candied layer. Dry, silky and fairly juicy, the fine-grained tannins and heightened acidity deliver a cleansing, long-lasting finish. This exceptional wine exudes energy and demonstrates proven aging potential, making it one to savor and age gracefully.

- Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous

The 2012 Gran Reserva Especial Castillo Ygay is 81% Tempranillo and 19% Mazuelo sourced from La Plana vineyard, planted on the Ygay Estate, Rioja Alta. Aged for 34 months in French and American oak barrels, this wine offers displays a garnet color with a brick sheen. It reveals a complex aroma of bee wax, dried flowers, cassis, sour cherry, cedar and vanilla, with a candied layer. Dry, silky and fairly juicy, the fine-grained tannins and heightened acidity deliver a cleansing, long-lasting finish. This exceptional wine exudes energy and demonstrates proven aging potential, making it one to savor and age gracefully.

- Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous

I tasted again the 2012 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, as the wine was not produced in 2013, 2014 or 2015 and the 2016 will not be released until 2027. The next vintages will be 2017, 2019 and 2021. The 2012 was produced with a blend of 81% Tempranillo and 19% Mazuelo (Cariñena) from the plot La Plana in the Ygay estate, which was planted in 1950 at 485 meters above sea level, the highest in the Ygay property. The Tempranillo was picked between September 17th and 19th, and the Mazuelo was harvested on September 25th. The bunches were destemmed and lightly crushed and put to ferment in stainless steel for 10 days with constant pump-overs and délestages. The Tempranillo matured for 34 months in American oak barrels, and the Mazuelo also matured for 34 months but in French barriques, then it was blended and put in concrete for a further 20 months. It has 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.65 and 5.8 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter). It's spicy, with abundant notes of forest floor, truffles and dry leaves, cigar ash and cedarwood, with a very tasty palate, savory, almost salty. It's evolving at a very slow pace. It should last forever... 103,216 bottles, 3,121 magnums and some larger formats were produced. It was bottled in May 2019.

- Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate

With its complexity, finesse and restrained power coalescing to make it a potentially legendary offering. So much dried flower, mushroom, iron, rust, sweet berry, and grilled orange. Full-bodied with very elegant and refined tannins that melt in the mouth and give a real sense of place and integrity. Balanced and harmonious. The finesse and finish is endless. Production was 30% less than in 2011. Already so drinkable. A wonderful future.