The origin of Marqués de Murrieta winery is also the origin of Rioja. Don Luciano Murrieta, applying techniques learned in Bordeaux, made the first Rioja wine in 1852, with the intention of sustaining it over time.

Don Luciano´s vision was clear from the begin-ning: to create a fine Rioja wine with a great ageing potential and start exporting it outside of Spain. He shipped his first vintage, with the legendary 1852, to countries such as Mexico and Cuba, making it the first fine Rioja wine to be exported.

Marqués de Murrieta Estates and Wines is led since 1983 by the Cebrián-Sagarriga family, characterized by their professionalism and daily effort.

After 6 years of works, the major renovation project at Marqués de Murrieta was completed with the inauguration in 2021 of the new winemaking facilities, a complex of buildings with more than 25,000 square meters, built next to the Castillo de Ygay. This spacious building is equipped with the latest technology and is considered one of the most avant-garde wineries in the world. More than 50,000 square meters of gardens make it a charming and idyllic setting.

The winery is now fully modernised while remaining true to its roots and identity and ready to continue crafting the finest possible wines.

Marqués de Murrieta is a way of living that starts in the land with every single grape and we share with the world through our wines. We are a family and a professional team with the same goal: to keep our tradition alive, believe in ourselves and in the quality in the search for excellence. We work with our hands, our mind and our heart applying the technology always in balance with our history.

Marqués de Murrieta is continuously evolving with new and visionary ideas which enable us to adapt to the new times, new consumers and our dreams. Our vocation drives us to work always with passion and dignify our vineyard, every grape, every bottle, every glass of wine in any part of the world where we are present.

Own vineyards – Castillo Ygay is always made from grapes sourced from La Plana, a 40-hectare (98-acre) vineyard,
planted in 1950 and located at 485 meters altitude, the highest area of Ygay Estate; the 300-hectare estate surrounding the winery in Rioja Alta

Grape varieties: 84% Tempranillo, 16% Mazuelo

Ageing – The tempranillo is aged for 28 months in 225-litre American oak barrels and the mazuelo is aged for 28 months in 225-litre French oak barrels

An endless and complex range of aromas define this Castillo Ygay 2011 that evokes fragances of ripe cherry, blueberry and cassis with refined hints of garrigue, Mediterranean herbs, black pepper, clove and mocha. Balance defines this wine vintage after vintage; lively on the palate yet enveloping and harmonious. With silky tannins and a long, elegant finish. “After an unforgettable 2010 vintage, Castillo Ygay once again shows the amazing potential of La Plana single vineyard” María Vargas – Technical Manager.

James Suckling – 98 points – Top 100

Extremely well-mannered, traditional character to this, showing layer upon layer of savory complexity on the nose, with iron, dried meat, tobacco, balsamic fruit, dried red berries, orange peel, leather and dried mushrooms. A medium-to full-bodied, linear and zesty Rioja that’s full of nuanced flavors that linger through the very long, savory finish. Floral, too. Yet, it remains bright and precise. Tempranillo with 16% mazuelo. Drink on release or hold.

Wine Advocate – 97 points

The 2011 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial was produced with a blend of 84% Tempranillo and 16% Mazuelo (Cariñena) from a plot called La Plana that was planted in 1950 at 485 meters in altitude, the highest in the Ygay property. The grapes were picked between September 17 and 22, and the Mazuelo was later, on September 28. The bunches were destemmed and lightly crushed and put to ferment in stainless steel for 11 days with constant pump-overs and punch-downs. The Tempranillo matured for 28 months in American oak barrels and the Mazuelo for 28 months in French barriques. It’s 14% alcohol and has a pH of 3.65 with 5.6 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter). It’s very tough to follow a vintage like 2010, and 2011 was not an easy year; the wine is possibly more powerful and concentrated but keeping the freshness, with a longer élevage but very young and lively, with an elegant texture and mouthfeel, great balance and elegance. The wine feels lively, and it seems impossible that it has been in bottle for over six years. It has the classical profile with the effect of the American oak barrels, cigar box, cedar wood, sweet spices—aromatic, intoxicating, complex. This should age very slowly and for a very long time. 131,668 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2016. No 2013, 2014 or 2015 will be produced. They have a 2012, and they will jump from that to 2016. The 2012 will be released in late 2023 or early 2024 and the 2016 in 2027 or 2028. Finger crossed…

Marqués de Murrieta is one of the most classical names in Rioja, and they have managed to keep the classical style of the wines but are also completely relevant and up to date with what is happening in the world today. All of their wines come from their own vineyards, which sets them apart from the majority of classical wineries that didn’t use to have any vineyards. So, it’s a château style winery, a domaine, not a négoce and a small- to medium-size winery. All of the wines are numbered, and they produce a total of a little more than one million bottles. They keep faithful to the use of mostly American oak barrels for their wines, and the aim is for elegance and freshness. The first vintage in the new winery was 2018, but they only open the winery to the public now. So, the wines from 2018, 2019 and 2020 that I tasted are the first ones that fermented in the new winery. They have finished building their new winery, where they now have plenty of room to work as they have a lot of wines aging in the winery, both in barrel and in bottle. Fermentation will change, and they have introduced concrete for Capellanía and oak vats for the top-of-the-range in reds. In 2022, they celebrate their 175th anniversary. Many congratulations!

Wine Enthusiast – 97 points

Deep violet-red to the eye, this wine has a nose of raspberry, white chocolate and juniper berry. Still youthful on the palate, it offers ever-present tannins supporting flavors of dark plum, black cherry, caramel and violet that slowly fade into a soft cherry-pie finish. Drink through 2042.

Tim Atkin – 96 points