Wine Profiles
A Terrific Wine for the Cellar: 2017 Marques de Murrieta Reserva Rioja
The Iberian peninsula is home to some of the most delightful gastronomic pleasures in the world. You can find everything here from Jamon Iberico to mouthwatering cheeses, bite-sized pintxos, savory paella, scrumptious gazpacho, endless cuisine, and a wide variety of stunning wines to complement every dish. Of all the wines produced on the Iberian peninsula, Rioja is king.
Rioja is king for good reason. It's fruit-forward, food-friendly, ages impeccably well, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Today we're presenting you with an opportunity to bring home the 96-point 2017 Marques de Murrieta 'Finca Ygay' Reserva Rioja for less than a single share of Bank of America stock.
Unlike Bank of America's current stock price, there's no risk with Murrieta's 2017 Rioja Reserva. It's going to get better. Today the wine displays a wide range of aromas well-defined ripe red fruit with hints of dried violets, red pepper, thyme, and graphite. On the palate, it's intense, tremendously expressive, and well-armed, with a great load of fruit and a long flavorful finish.
Murrieta is one of Spain's (and Rioja's) most important estates. Established in 1852 the estate was named after one of the founders of Rioja, Luciano de Murrieta. Luciano set the precedence for wine production in Rioja by bringing over viticulture and cellar techniques from Bordeaux, utilizing American Oak in place of French Oak, along with extended oak aging. Today, these practices have become the foundation for traditional Rioja wines.
One of Rioja's most decorated wines comes from Marques de Murrieta, the Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. But we're not here to talk about that wine. However, it is worth mentioning that the 96-point 2017 Finca Ygay Reserva, according to the established 100-point scoring system, is a point off of the 97-point 2011 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva. The eyes begin to pop once you realize there's a $165 difference between the cost of these two wines.
Instead of paying $200+ for the 2011 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva, you could have the 96-point 2017 Finca Ygay Reserva for $34.95. The latter is the clear-cut value winner.
Along with James Suckling's 96-point review where he noted it's "a terrific wine for the cellar" there are three 95-point reviews from some of Spain's most critical and acclaimed publications, including, Guía Proensa, Guía Gourmets, and Guía ABC. There's a lot of critical praise going for this wine. Decanter said it's "a great classic, with a unique Rioja character" and that it will "leaves a vibrant memory" so you know you'll never forget it.
With all the high-flying critical praise, we don't expect this wine to be available for very long. If we could get more, we would. Sadly, we've only been granted access to a limited number of cases and instead of filling our cellars with this liquid gold, we want to share it with you, because that's what wine is all about. Don't miss out on this 96-point cellar-worthy Rioja for under $35 a bottle.
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