Marqués de Murrieta: Ygay, Dalmau & Capellania all tasted

The Marquis of Murrieta was the first and most influential of the Spanish aristocracy who took it upon themselves to remodel the Spanish vinous template with a distinctly Bordelais flavour. All this started in 1852 and although the Bodega is no longer in eponymous hands the current owner, the deliciously flamboyant Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga, the tenth Conde de Creixell, is the perfect ambassador for the newly renovated property.

Scroll down for Simon Field MW’s Marqués de Murrieta tasting notes and scores

His presentation and masterclass at Decanter’s recent Fine Wine Encounter in the suitably plush and capacious Drawing Room of London’s Landmark Hotel drew a full house and gave full rein to both the traditional and the more modern face of this much-loved estate.

It begins in the ground

The key to understanding what makes Murrieta so special is that its entire production comes from one specific plot, a 300-hectare vineyard located just outside Logrono in the southern sector of the enclave of La Rioja Alta.

The majority of the vineyard, up to 85%, provides grapes for their flagship label, the Reserva, the balance made up of three specific sites, adjacent to each other, which have been singled out for their suitability for the premium labels, the Capellanía White, Dalmau, which is Vicente’s personal innovation, and, of course the most famous of them all; the legendary Castillo Ygay.

Finally, and almost ridiculously rare, Ygay’s white sibling, which is released after a mere 30 years in the winery. The current release is the 1986, described by Vicente as an ‘old rock star’. It certainly does give a lot of satisfaction to all those who taste it, including a certain Mr Robert Parker, who gave it 100 points!

Premium focus

The tasting focused on these four premium labels, and, to me, really underlined a holistic and entirely sensible philosophy, with all bases covered. The Capellanía, for example, changed its style in 2009, American oak replacing French, and the ageing regime shorted dramatically to 15 months, thereby giving a perfect foil to the resolutely traditional Ygay Blanco.

In the same vein the two reds complement each other perfectly. On taking over in 1996, Vicente decided to introduce a more modern style of red; he borrows the term ‘Vino de Autor’ to describe Dalmau. He is most definitely the author and describes the wine as ‘a key part of my own story; a necessity for me’, its new French oak elevage and use of both Graciano and (the now outlawed) Cabernet Sauvignon, serving to define a distinct, robust style, a terrific complement to the more traditional Ygay.

Ygay legacy

And what of Ygay itself? There was plenty of scope to find out, as the tasting took us from the hitherto unreleased 2010 all the way back to 1980. The legacy of one of Spain’s great names is clearly in very safe hands; once again the ageing period has been reduced, but only a little, and the wine will never actually leave the winery before the end of its first decade.

We will have to wait until next Spring at the earliest for the formal release of the superlative 2010. Two features stand out immediately; firstly, the beauty of the wine’s colour, rich and plush for sure, but in no way over-bearing, and still resonant after all these years with the 1980.

The second key feature is the inclusion of Mazuelo, a variety known as Carignan in France and which, although it only covers 3% of Rioja in general, can make up nearly 20% of Ygay; the 2009 has the highest component of the wines tasted with 19% in the final blend.

Freshness, colour, bracing acidity and poised tannins are all thus added to the wonderfully seductive core of fine Tempranillo. The wine is a worthy exemplar of great Rioja, its dignified warmth and the quiet intensity of its fruit a joy to behold. As indeed is the whole Bodega; there have been changes, for sure, and Vicente quotes Lampedusa when he says that things must change so that they may stay the same. The unsurpassed reputation of Ygay is thus confirmed, nourished and enhanced, as this wonderful tasting so eloquently demonstrated.

See Simon Field MW’s Marqués de Murrieta notes