I love a cerebral wine, and this is one that fills that bill in spades. Over the course 45 minutes of tasting this wine, each sip was a little different than the one before it, although the underlying elements were cohesive so you knew it was the same wine but would discover something new each time. Overall the mouthfeel was consistent in that it had a slightly waxy/oily texture but not in a bad way. This palate coating is what helped give the wine a nearly minute long finish. So many flavors that effortlessly glided from one layer or stage to the next: pine nuts, barely ripe honey dew melon, saline, asian pear but a creamy version, and under-sweetened lemon meringue pie, white stones, gala apples and more I lost count of. No rush to drink, but I don't know how it gets better. It's like a science experiment that does not sound like it should work but it does. My favorite wine of the night because after 24 hours I still find myself thinking about it.
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Viura (97%) y un pequeño aporte de Malvasia Riojana (3%). 21 años en barricas de roble americano tras lo cual paso 5 años y medio en depósitos de cemento. Se embotelló en Septiembre de 2013. Sólo 8.125 botellas. Abierto con antelación y decantado, muestra un bonito oclor dorado y una nariz que va de menos a más, aunque siempre con los terciarios como protagonistas y una expresión frutal golosa, con compotas de fruta blanca y fruta con hueso. Las especias dulces, sobre todo vainilla, los ahumados, las notas de corteza de limón confitadas, la cera de abeja acompañan la amplia paleta olfativa. En boca la entrada es muy buena, y uanque hay sensación de materia predomina el caracter fluido merced a una excelente acidez, hay cierta sensación de cuerpo, cierta mineralidad que incluye matices salinos y notable persistencia. Muy buena presencia y notable complejidad.
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This was great when I had it in the glass (bottle was open for a good few hours). Creamy, nuts, lemon peel, great balance with very good acidity, and a stupid long finish. Just so clean and intense; a really outstanding wine. When retasting two hours later it did seem to die a bit.
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Utregs Wijnhuis tasting Exclusief (Utrecht, NL): This wine was very high on my bucketlist and although absolutely great in every aspect, my expectations were even higher. After 21 (!!) years oak aging, 6 year more years in concrete foudre, one can imagine this has an oxidative character to it with marzipan, nutty, but also white peach, citrus, pear. Medium+ acidity, very concentrated on the palate with a very long finish. 94++
Strange to say after 252 months of aging, but I feel this will be even better in ~5 years from now
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Fourth time I've had this wine and the highest I've rated it. It out-shined three other fantastic whites on the night and fully lived up to its professional acclaim. Saline, slightly oxidized, fresh. This bottle had not aged much and could go for decades more. No idea if that would further improve or degrade it, but I felt like this one performed to full potential. Gorgeous.
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A simply beautiful wine but I could see it being slightly divisive.
High viscosity with saline notes, grilled citrus, pine nuts/nuts, herbs. Made in an oxidative style but it is not an oxidized wine per se. Very elegant barrels, giving me associations more towards polished mahogany than brazen oak.
Decanted for 2hours and served in a burgundy glass to get more space to develop. I would treat this more like a light red as it grew significantly with more air and a slightly higher temperature. Worked great with both the deer tartar with charred onion and vendace roe and the dish of cod with grilled cabbage and beurre blanc.
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Kleur: Vol goudgeel Aroma / bouquet: Uiterstin drukwekkend bouquet. Een sensationele complexiteit, serieus rijp en tertiair. Maar in niets! teveel. Aroma's van gebrande nootjes, madeira, zoethout. Smaak / Afdronk: Krachtig en elegant, power met finesse. Ziltig en romig. De aroma's komen terug in de smaak, vooral de gebrande nootjes en de hint van madeira. Superieur lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Grootste wijn. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 100/100
Colour: Full golden yellow Aroma / bouquet: Extremely impressive bouquet. A sensational complexity, seriously ripe and tertiary. But in nothing! too many. Aromas of roasted nuts, madeira, licorice. Taste / Aftertaste: Powerful and elegant, power with finesse. Salty and creamy. The aromas are reflected in the taste, especially the roasted nuts and the hint of Madeira. Superior long finish. Overall / potential: Greatest wine. 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 15 + Taste / Aftertaste: 20 + General / Potential: 10 = 100/100
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(Mostly) Spanish dinner (Chicago, IL): Keeping with my previous experiences with this wine, a full 24 hours before service, I decided to pop the cork, pour off a fraction of a glass, and let the wine aerate. The initial pour is quite in line with my previous experiences with this wine. It's muted and doesn't show much expressiveness. A slight bit of tart fruit, but an intense waxiness on the nose and palate. Not particularly oaky. Plenty of acidity and liveliness for a wine of this age. This is so intense and concentrated it feels bitter. Oxidative winemaking, yes, but definitely not oxidized.
On the day of service, this wine had indeed amply tightened up and lost some of the waxy aromatics, though it certainly still retained a good amount of them. There's far more weight now, and the fruit shows more intensely. Almost comical levels of concentration. It's still a white wine best treated as a red, and went fantastic with a chicken paella.
Kind of drinks like an oxidized Burg, which makes me wonder what all the fuss is about... 252 months in barrel and 67 months in concrete, bottled 2014.
Supremely youthful. Loaded with intense peach fruit. There’s some custard apple, smoky mineral and plenty of spice. It is rich in the mouth, silky of texture and incredibly long.
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No notes taken. Despite two hours in the decanter this needed an hour+ to unfurl in the glass and really show complex. My highlight was the superb freshness and creaminess pairing (you could drink this all day long). Loads of nutty notes, herbs, limes, some floral aromas, some tropical fruits, crushed rocks. Quite long and suave. I can see the 100 pts but it is still a Viura which can never reach the greatness of a Chardonnay. 94 pts
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Tasted blind. Several waves of aromas emanate from the glass, starting with nutty notes, followed by raisin accents and lastly a fine Sherry-like layer. Crisp yet creamy palate with a satin texture and a long finish. To my surprise you’ll find citric freshness on the nicely layered palate. Over time this opened up more, adding a fresh herbal dimension, lime juice, melted butter and white flowers. The complexity is really the strong suit here, but the oxidative style is more a matter of taste.
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A special occasion means a special wine. A wine that I brought with me from Barcelona on a trip a few years ago. The owner of the bodega got me to try it and I fell in love with it on the spot. I am mostly a burgundy white drinker and this wine is just so not in my comfort zone but nonetheless it has so much to offer. A tad oxidative but not much it has a kind of mix between chenin blanc from the Loire and a Montrachet type of weight. I can't better descibe it. Just memorable.
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What a treat to taste this wine for the first time. Non blind and poured from the bottle with a sweetbreads course. The marriage here was very good. The wine is aromatically open and expressive. I have a familiarity with the Lopez de Heredia whites over the years, and this wine immediately made me think of the tondonia reserva blanco (I’ve not tasted the gran reserva yet). Here you have a serious wine, medium gold with precisely delineated flavors of raw hazelnut, lemon confit, mandarin orange, a hint of sage. Salty, dry, and quite long on the finish. Relative to my expectation, it showed somewhat youthful. A superb bottle without exception.
If the price tag gives pause however, I’d submit that the LdH Tondonia reserva blanco with some bottle age would take one 95+% of the way here at 1/10 the cost.
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Very complex nose with savory notes, slightly oxidative flavors, citrus, and almonds. Intense palate with lovely acidity and flavors of citrus, minerals, and white peach. Long finish. This is an outstanding and super complex wine that's thought provoking and requires time to sit on and reflect. Very impressive as part of a larger dinner, but I would love to just sit down with this over an entire evening by itself...
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The wine is clear medium golden core with a medium watery rim, developing
The nose is clean, medium intense aromas of yellow apples, plums, oak/vanilla, grilled lemon, pecan nutts, butter, dried figs, developing and very complex
Palate is dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol, medium+ body and high flavour intensity, very high dry-extract with aromas of lemon, yellow apples, liquorice root, plums, pecan nutts, dried figs, oily mouthfeel, very long finish and very complex.
The very well balanced, long lingering finish which changes with time, intese aromas and very high concentration, deep complexity. Outstanding quality, will keep for a very long time. 95p+
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"Nature is healing" (Chicago, IL): I made a terrible mistake in my last note on this wine, as I forgot to indicate that this requires ample, ample air to show its best. Indeed, it was initially a little muted at first, and seemed to blossom as the day wore on (and the bottle got emptier). The nose is generous and waxy, with tons of browned fruit (in a good way) and despite the 21 years in American oak, the oak elements emerge only as an accent to the rest of the wine. Thickly textured and rich, somehow this also manages to stay crisp and fresh as well. Interestingly there is a slight nutty element that emerges with the air even as the fruit continues to become more prominent. A true feat of winemaking. In case there is any doubt about this wine -- just think of it as a red.
blind This time not that good as I had it a few times before and for me a bit too alcoholic in the finish. Not easy too detect. Timeless. No really fruit, not too saline but with a great grip and acidity. 95
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blind, no decantation this time not that "big" as the two times before. A bit more alcoholic and not that balanced. Still timeless, no really fruit. not oxidized, not too creamy, a bit nuts. I guessed younger and Vina tondonia. 94+
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Third time drinking this wine, with one bottle left to save for many years. Double decanted for a few hours before drinking. Good wine at 1/10 the price. Definitely would not buy again, though, for $450. IMO, outperformed by the other whites (Yquem Ygrec, Ganevat Vieilles Vignes Chardonnay) on the same evening. Have not experienced the same magic others have with this wine.
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This wine is amazing. honey, cantaloupe melon, straw. we drank it over a few hours and it stayed exactly at the same level. boum. i need to go buy more.
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blind just wow again. Timeles beauty. It doesn't fit in any classical white wine region but it is a distinctive wine for its own. 97+ for the next 3 decades. In love
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This was one of my top disappointments of all times due to the cost/rave-reviews.
I opened this bottle for a couple friends of ours to have it blind, they though it was a French wine, nobody could tell the grape, and we all agreed it was very interesting. A 100pts? NO! $500? definitely NO!
Maybe I didn’t handed it the right way, I opened it at 11am, placed it back in the cellar to be consumed at 2pm. We then kept a quarter of the bottle and revisit it around 4pm and it was a little better but not a crazy wine as I was expecting...
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Leap Day dinner Trelio's (Clovis Ca.): A first for me...aged in barrel for 21yrs, then concrete for another 6...WOW this is clean and fresh, with a cool subtle oxidativeness. Blind I would be guessing a younger Jura? Pear, white peach, apple skin...has a very pleasing waxiness of lanolin, yet intensely lifted citrus...grapefruit, lemon, orange zest. Exotic florals mingle well with the subtle lees ox...crazy crushed rock minerality...a mesmerizing drink throughout the night!
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Blind From the first bouquet a beautiful white wine. No hint for a typical grape variety, timeless, not oxidized, could live forever. I guessed vina tondonia.dense, herbal notes, great acidity structure, no really fruit notes but everything ist in balance, never ending precise finish. For the next 20 years. 98+
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1 point off for the thinly walled bottle, but that's just nitpicking. The Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Blanco was easily the best and most interesting white I've had to date. The color was shocking—if I may be so crude, like concentrated urine. On the nose, yeasty notes with pineapple upside-down cake, almond and some citrus. Creamy mouth feel balanced with an beguiling salinity. Unbelievable finesse considering the acidity of this wine. And so focused! Length of finish unmatched in other white wines I've tried.
Hard to know how long this bottle would age but can attest it is amazing now.
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Fine low acidity. Medium intense body. Absolutely amazing notes of brioche, walnut, hazelnut, caramel and almonds. Very clean and precise - stunning! Just a little oak in the background. Aged for 21!!! years in oak! Wish I had a few bottles in my own cellar. (Tasted at Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2019 Masterclass.)
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Simply perfect. I think some might guess this a red wine given its age and history. Honey orange peel marmalade with a hint of salinity and underpinned with amazing acid this wine is well worth the 30 years it took for Ygay to release it. I think it’s stunning and is beyond words if you find a bottle order immediately
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Popped and poured. This is a medium-yellow wine, with a general color like urine. The nose is crazy, with many different notes, including various nuts (walnuts and hazelnuts most prominently), flowers, papaya, lemon, and sea breeze. The wine coats the entire mouth, with apple and grapefruit skin elements at the fore, but an array of flavors layered throughout. The finish is very long, with a touch of honey (the unprocessed kind) and walnuts presenting a plush impression. Overall, this is a cool and unique experience. The wine feels much younger than its age. It was a fascinating moment and a privilege to drink something like this (I probably would not go back at $500/bottle, but certainly at $250/bottle). This is a remarkable wine and one that reflects its dramatic upbringing and heritage. I suspect it has a long life ahead, but honestly don’t really know how to calibrate this. It’s good stuff, full stop. 96 points.
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Second time having this wine, what a treat! Same as my previous note, it was well balanced and memorable on all fronts, still incredibly fresh and young too. On the palate, it was complex with various types of white and yellow fruits, peach, apricot, lemon curd, and roasted apple, along with almond, lightly roasted walnut, and modest touch of caramel and toffee. Acidity was gentle but very soild, round texture, finish was long, lingering, and intriguing
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This was absolutely insanely good wine. I love it!! On the nose, roasted nuts, light smoke, slightly tropical fruits but gentle, white and yellow flowers, raw almond, and herbal tea, so many things going on on the nose; on the palate, the finish was pretty crazy with touch of aged top whisky and super complex on all fronts, balanced and great lingering acidity, strong minerals, light smoke, herbs, flowers, nuts, and honey, cannot stop drinking it. WOW!
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1986 Marques de Murrieta Whites and Red, Ancient Lopez de Heredia Tondonia (Los Gatos, California): Full yellow, but lighter color than the 1986 Murrieta Reserva we had next to it (by the way, nowhere near as dark as the bottle pictured on the CT homepage for this wine). Perhaps the freshest aromas of the 3 bottles I've been fortunate enough to drink-no sherry tones, just a smorgasbord of beeswax (like a Raveneau Chablis), honey, discrete fruit, and lord knows what else. Perfect in terms of mouth feel with glycerine and wax in equipoise with deeply imbued acidity. Headspinning complexity and length. I've compared it to great, Semillon-based white Graves, and I think that that is a reasonable starting point for understanding this profound wine, but it also has some of the magical creamy and mysterious elements that you find in the greatest aged white Burgundies. The Reserva of the same year was a fine wine in its own right, but this took things to a completely different level. It should have no problem lasting another decade or more.
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This was simply outstanding and kept getting better and better. And super vibrant as well. Shows no sign of slowing down whatsoever. Wish I could get more!
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This is a great wine if you are into the aged whites. Lots of caramel and those more oxidative flavors (almost a touch of tobacco or something). Well aged for sure. Somehow this didn't quite speak to me as well as I think it should have given the price point. Still, a very nice wine and fun to try.
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Procedente del Pago de Capellanía, plantado en 1945, en la zona más alta de la finca, a 485 metros. 97% Viura, 3% Malvasía Riojana. Vendimia manual. Fermentó en tinas de roble americano. Crianza en barricas de roble americano de 225 litros durante 252 meses. 67 meses en depósito de hormigón. Embotellado en enero de 2014. Producción de 8.125 botellas.
Equilibrio perfecto, acidez súper marcada en boca. Pura elegancia.
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Opened by a friend at a dinner at his house. This is something I have wanted to taste for awhile now and I am incredibly lucky to have had the chance.
Incredibly fresh, very little oxidative notes. Time has barely touched this wine. Bruised white peaches and white nectarines, beeswax, lilies and dandelions, almost had this saltiness I would expect from country ham, and so much vibrancy on the finish.
This is a wine that will last for quite some time! As I let it open in my glass, it seemed to somehow gain youth. The Benjamin Button wine, maybe?
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Not unlike the ultra-long cask aged Ygay reds of old, in that it's still very fresh without any hint of oxidation. It did change substantially in the glass for the better, to the point where I would probably decant this if I were to open it. There's great weight and viscosity; sort of an oily semillon quality. That didn't change much with time, but the fruit expanded substantially from an initially pretty wrapped up core. There's coconut and tropical fruit without coming across as oaky or fat. Really good.
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Pausing for the Cause 2018 (Chicago, IL): Fucking incredible. Supernatural freshness and complexity. 252 months in cask, but no oak tannin, no oxidation, just a ridiculous heap of stuffing. There's already so much on the nose, with waxy and earthy elements, and then air causing the fruit to pick up. The palate is silky, with no harshness from anything at all -- just the sort of secondary complexity that is borne with age. Great acidity here balances out that richness, and there's so much fruit to go around (you need to coax that out with air). One of the greatest dry white wines I've ever had the pleasure of opening.
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At Wine and View Bar at Helsinki Airport. Coravin pour from a bottle about half full. The wine looked very youthful, in particular in light of its age (a full, medium yellow-golden colour). It had a lovely, fresh, complex, expressive nose that included lime juice, white peach, dried flowers, chamomile, beeswax and fino sherry. The palate was not quite as complex as the nose suggested, with very intense lemon curd and nut flavours, which were joined by a waxy component and then mild spice on the finish, all carried by fresh acidity, with a good, waxy mouthfeel and superb length. The wine was unbelievably fresh for its age. And very unique!
That said, while I was amazed by the wine and had never believed to find a 30+ year old white that fresh, I was not as blown away by this wine as the notes of other tasters indicate. The palate did not quite stand up to the complexity suggested by the nose and the upfront intensity and concentration stood in a slightly weird contrast to the more graceful but thinner middle and finish. But don't get me wrong, there is no denying that this is one of the great white wines of the world! (93?)
Fiftieth Birthday Dinner with 1968 Riojas and Other Treats (San Francisco): Tulip colored. Waxy aromas mixed with a whiff of fino which disappeared with decanting. A wine of amazingly enveloping texture and amplitude, perfectly balanced by strong acidity and minerality which grew in the glass. Absolutely sublime. Second time tasted (thanks to R and L), and it struck me this time that this is a dead ringer for the highest level of dry Semillon-based wine, like white Haut Brion, for example. What an interesting comparison it would make to taste this side by side with one of those wines.
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Dette har blitt en liten ikon-vin fra Spania, som ikke akkurat er rimelig å lage. Druen er Viura, med en liten dæsj Malvasia. Vinen er modnet på amerikanske eik i pene 21 år (!), før nye 5 år følger på sementtanker. Når skjedde flaskingen. I 2013….. I Spania lages det jo ganske stort volum på ting, men denne rariteten er det laget kun ca 8000 flasker av.
Vinen stråler perfekt harmoni både på utseende og på aromabildet med balansert intensitet med moden lett tørkede tropiske frukter, honning, nøtteskall og eksklusiv karamell av edleste sort. Et mer eksotisk krydder fanger oppmerksomheten sammen med et pent saltpreg som pirrer og holder interessen oppe. Lenge. På paletten er vinen middels + fyldig med flott dybde i frukten. Lysere tropiske tørkede frukter, fortsatt livlig sitrus, litt våte nøtter, smørtoner, og lett vanilje gir en silkeaktig preg på vinen og med en fløteaktig lang utgang. Vinen er i god balanse, selv om syren er overraskende tilstedeværende og flott.
Dette opplevelses overhodet ikke som en vin som nærmer seg pensjonistalderen. Dette er 45 åringen, som er ferdig med de største livskrisene og har tiår igjen før gamlehjemmet venter og livet er på hell. Om ikke uforløst, så er det enda bedre ting i vente i denne vinen. Ikon-vin dette. 96 poeng. For nå.
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A small amount taken with Coravin at the Wine and View Bar in Helsinki Airport. Yes, this is a remarkable wine, wonderful aromas on the nose, rich and expressive, white stone fruits, with a hint of nuttiness and a bit of mushroom. The palate is rich and full, complex, hint of smoke, mouth-filling fruit. For a 30+ year old wine, it's amazing!
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Second bottle and just as good as I remembered. Unfortunately this was enjoyed all too quickly for it to fully open. Consistent with my note from last year (when I drank a few bottles of this over a couple of hours). Expensive but actually worth it. Will improve for another decade, probably two. Only 2 bottles left - next one in 2025.
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A wine that really belongs in a category by itself - remarkable fennel, mushroom, parafin, lemon curd and orange marmalade. 21 years in oak and 6 years in cement. Awesome.
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1967 Dinner with FV and Friends: Glistening golden colour. Every acid shows a different element, bacon and smoky notes, fennel and basil, honey and ginger, apple and pear - the list goes on. Stunning texture, there is some roundness on the palate with vibrant acidity to match. Beautiful composure and balance, this has amazing finesse as well as incredible depth. Mesmerizing stuff.
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Full yellow. Indescribably complex-light nuts, pear, herbs, etc. Remarkable texture, acidity, and length. This just kept improving for a good 2 hours after the bottle was opened. Everything I had heard was true, which is to say that this was one of the most incredible, memorable dry white wines I've ever had.
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Viura (97%) with a touch of Malvasia Riojana (3%). Aged for 252 months (21 years) in American oak, followed by 67 months (5½ years) in cement tanks. Bottled in September 2013 and released only after more than 30 years after the harvest. 6,8 grams of acidity and ridiculously low pH of 2,98. Total production 8,125 bottles.
Surprisingly pale color for a wine this old - the appearance is that of pale honey, not deep golden as white wines of this age often are. The nose is remarkably powerful and intense with super-rich, developed aromas of sweet cream and créme brûlèe, some vanilla, a little bit of oaky toasted spice, hints of wizened old lemons and smoke and a touch of dill. What really takes me by surprise is the bracing acidity of the wine - normally these traditionalist Rioja whites are weighty and waxy, but this wine is racy and lively like a Rheingau Riesling! The acidity really brings the flavors alive; there are notes of panna cotta, lemons, green apples, some vanilla, a little bit of browned butter and a hint of beeswax. The long oak aging has concentrated the wine so that its mouthfeel is somewhat oily, yet it is quite light in body due to the freshness from the acidity. The finish is really crisp, sharp and lively with remarkably acid-driven flavors of vanilla, cream, green apples, some wizened old lemons, a little bit of sweet lemon marmalade, a hint of mineral chalky bitterness and a touch of salinity. The mouth-watering and palate-cleansing acidity gives the finish incredible length.
I had heard a lot of positive things of this wine before, but it still outdid my expectations. Stunning complexity, freshness and intensity here with acidity that is ridiculously high. Although the wine is stylistically very similar to the Tondonia Gran Reserva by R. López de Heredia, it is still very different; Tondonia GR is a lot weightier with quite waxy character, whereas this is incredibly racy, lithe and elegant with flavors that are all about complex maturity, yet the wine doesn't feel old one bit. If the high acidity gives any clue to the cellaring potential, I can imagine this wine will outlive me. Quite expensive at 52€ for a 4 cl glass in a bar, but bloody hell it was worth it.
Mouton dinner with Philippe Dhalluin and Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Beautiful elegant nose displaying subtle yellow fruit, peach, apricot, honeysuckle, acacia, a hint of sherry, spicy spices, noticeable lanoline, light honey and mineral. Perfectly harmonious, a hint of honey and lanoline driven palate impression, very polished and silky, beautifully layered, rich yet elegant and airy, perfect amount of acidity and a lovely long seamless finish. It is a serious wine yet so delicious. The nose constantly evolves and gains fruit weight. Excellent showing.
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There are so many layers and with each tip of the glass, the bouquet seems to change. The hardest part about the '86 Ygay Blanco is not drinking it too fast. There's amazing depth on the palate, with dense textures, yet vibrant and lifted, playing a sweet and sour act on the senses. Minerals, stone fruits, young pineapple, crushed flowers, mushroom, brea, savory herbs... it goes on and on.
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Gorgeous wine, enjoyed a bottle with the winemaker but will not be publicly released until this September. 21yrs in US oak followed by 5yrs in concrete and then bottle. Initially very heavy, with deep gold, and lovely almond nose. Big, rich and persistent with lingering salinity. With lots of air this actually reminded me of a top Burgundy! Enjoyed with all courses of a dinner. Highly recommended.
5/11/2024 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 98 Points
I love a cerebral wine, and this is one that fills that bill in spades. Over the course 45 minutes of tasting this wine, each sip was a little different than the one before it, although the underlying elements were cohesive so you knew it was the same wine but would discover something new each time. Overall the mouthfeel was consistent in that it had a slightly waxy/oily texture but not in a bad way. This palate coating is what helped give the wine a nearly minute long finish. So many flavors that effortlessly glided from one layer or stage to the next: pine nuts, barely ripe honey dew melon, saline, asian pear but a creamy version, and under-sweetened lemon meringue pie, white stones, gala apples and more I lost count of. No rush to drink, but I don't know how it gets better. It's like a science experiment that does not sound like it should work but it does. My favorite wine of the night because after 24 hours I still find myself thinking about it.
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11/26/2023 - PacoHigon Likes this wine:
Viura (97%) y un pequeño aporte de Malvasia Riojana (3%). 21 años en barricas de roble americano tras lo cual paso 5 años y medio en depósitos de cemento. Se embotelló en Septiembre de 2013. Sólo 8.125 botellas. Abierto con antelación y decantado, muestra un bonito oclor dorado y una nariz que va de menos a más, aunque siempre con los terciarios como protagonistas y una expresión frutal golosa, con compotas de fruta blanca y fruta con hueso. Las especias dulces, sobre todo vainilla, los ahumados, las notas de corteza de limón confitadas, la cera de abeja acompañan la amplia paleta olfativa. En boca la entrada es muy buena, y uanque hay sensación de materia predomina el caracter fluido merced a una excelente acidez, hay cierta sensación de cuerpo, cierta mineralidad que incluye matices salinos y notable persistencia. Muy buena presencia y notable complejidad.
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11/20/2023 - Peter Spijker Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was great when I had it in the glass (bottle was open for a good few hours). Creamy, nuts, lemon peel, great balance with very good acidity, and a stupid long finish. Just so clean and intense; a really outstanding wine. When retasting two hours later it did seem to die a bit.
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11/19/2023 - ThijsV Likes this wine: 94 Points
Utregs Wijnhuis tasting Exclusief (Utrecht, NL): This wine was very high on my bucketlist and although absolutely great in every aspect, my expectations were even higher. After 21 (!!) years oak aging, 6 year more years in concrete foudre, one can imagine this has an oxidative character to it with marzipan, nutty, but also white peach, citrus, pear. Medium+ acidity, very concentrated on the palate with a very long finish. 94++
Strange to say after 252 months of aging, but I feel this will be even better in ~5 years from now
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5/18/2023 - levicn Likes this wine: 95 Points
醒酒一小时，回塞五小时，中金黄色，闻香有酵母带来的酸面粉团气息，苦杏仁，坚果，杏，奶油面包，草药，矿物，还有混杂在一起如蜜蜡一般的特别香气，入口酸度高，线性，酒液咸，收口微甜，辛辣的白花，草药，奶油，柑橘，橘皮的香气包裹在奶油的质感下，集中度很高，漂亮的结构感，总的来说和刚开瓶时区别不大，入口比闻香感觉要新鲜很多，有浸皮的特征，明显的二类香气，但完全不像一个1986年的酒，口中没有氧化感和老态，酒体紧实，状态很紧致，远没有打开。接着进醒酒器一个半小时，然后尝试杯醒半小时，奇迹出现了，沉睡的巨人开始苏醒，闻香多了一些白花，核果和苹果的香气，咸矿物的口感下甜感在加强，扎实的酒体舒展了许多，丰富的内容一层层展开在你面前，成熟的核果，焦糖，奶油……酸度自始至终保持坚挺，无论怎么醒酒，结构也没有丝毫的破坏，余味是爆棚的柑橘和奶油香气，非常持久。感觉只要你愿意，它还可以源源不断输出更多东西。一支各方面完美，挑不出缺点的酒，通常我很少对一款酒杯醒很长时间，因为根据我的经验，99%都会变得松散，或者把缺陷暴露出来，但这支酒真的奇了，就是这么强悍。它确实定义了里奥哈白可以达到的高度，令人惊叹。它不是一款刻意讨好的作品，但是用传统经典的做法，给人展现出了很多过去不曾体会到的东西。最重要的是，它还那么年轻，现在的一切只是它刚起步的样子。
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5/1/2023 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 98 Points
Fourth time I've had this wine and the highest I've rated it. It out-shined three other fantastic whites on the night and fully lived up to its professional acclaim. Saline, slightly oxidized, fresh. This bottle had not aged much and could go for decades more. No idea if that would further improve or degrade it, but I felt like this one performed to full potential. Gorgeous.
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3/19/2023 - matage Likes this wine: 96 Points
A simply beautiful wine but I could see it being slightly divisive.
High viscosity with saline notes, grilled citrus, pine nuts/nuts, herbs.
Made in an oxidative style but it is not an oxidized wine per se.
Very elegant barrels, giving me associations more towards polished mahogany than brazen oak.
Decanted for 2hours and served in a burgundy glass to get more space to develop.
I would treat this more like a light red as it grew significantly with more air and a slightly higher temperature.
Worked great with both the deer tartar with charred onion and vendace roe and the dish of cod with grilled cabbage and beurre blanc.
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12/4/2022 - Benoit Hardy Does not like this wine: 88 Points
“one of the finest spanish white ever”
21 years of aging in barrels preceded by 5 years in concrete tanks.
The result? An oxidized burgundy with added spices. Little background and an acidity that descales the teeth.
Given the price, a wine to forget very quickly. A Meursault village from a good producer gives much more pleasure.
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10/22/2022 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 100 Points
Kleur: Vol goudgeel Aroma / bouquet: Uiterstin drukwekkend bouquet. Een sensationele complexiteit, serieus rijp en tertiair. Maar in niets! teveel. Aroma's van gebrande nootjes, madeira, zoethout. Smaak / Afdronk: Krachtig en elegant, power met finesse. Ziltig en romig. De aroma's komen terug in de smaak, vooral de gebrande nootjes en de hint van madeira. Superieur lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Grootste wijn. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 100/100
Colour: Full golden yellow Aroma / bouquet: Extremely impressive bouquet. A sensational complexity, seriously ripe and tertiary. But in nothing! too many. Aromas of roasted nuts, madeira, licorice. Taste / Aftertaste: Powerful and elegant, power with finesse. Salty and creamy. The aromas are reflected in the taste, especially the roasted nuts and the hint of Madeira. Superior long finish. Overall / potential: Greatest wine. 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 15 + Taste / Aftertaste: 20 + General / Potential: 10 = 100/100
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9/4/2022 - acyso wrote: 98 Points
(Mostly) Spanish dinner (Chicago, IL): Keeping with my previous experiences with this wine, a full 24 hours before service, I decided to pop the cork, pour off a fraction of a glass, and let the wine aerate. The initial pour is quite in line with my previous experiences with this wine. It's muted and doesn't show much expressiveness. A slight bit of tart fruit, but an intense waxiness on the nose and palate. Not particularly oaky. Plenty of acidity and liveliness for a wine of this age. This is so intense and concentrated it feels bitter. Oxidative winemaking, yes, but definitely not oxidized.
On the day of service, this wine had indeed amply tightened up and lost some of the waxy aromatics, though it certainly still retained a good amount of them. There's far more weight now, and the fruit shows more intensely. Almost comical levels of concentration. It's still a white wine best treated as a red, and went fantastic with a chicken paella.
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8/25/2022 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Kind of drinks like an oxidized Burg, which makes me wonder what all the fuss is about... 252 months in barrel and 67 months in concrete, bottled 2014.
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8/8/2022 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Supremely youthful. Loaded with intense peach fruit. There’s some custard apple, smoky mineral and plenty of spice. It is rich in the mouth, silky of texture and incredibly long.
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4/24/2022 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
No notes taken. Despite two hours in the decanter this needed an hour+ to unfurl in the glass and really show complex. My highlight was the superb freshness and creaminess pairing (you could drink this all day long). Loads of nutty notes, herbs, limes, some floral aromas, some tropical fruits, crushed rocks. Quite long and suave. I can see the 100 pts but it is still a Viura which can never reach the greatness of a Chardonnay. 94 pts
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4/9/2022 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Several waves of aromas emanate from the glass, starting with nutty notes, followed by raisin accents and lastly a fine Sherry-like layer. Crisp yet creamy palate with a satin texture and a long finish. To my surprise you’ll find citric freshness on the nicely layered palate. Over time this opened up more, adding a fresh herbal dimension, lime juice, melted butter and white flowers. The complexity is really the strong suit here, but the oxidative style is more a matter of taste.
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1/16/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 96 Points
A special occasion means a special wine. A wine that I brought with me from Barcelona on a trip a few years ago. The owner of the bodega got me to try it and I fell in love with it on the spot. I am mostly a burgundy white drinker and this wine is just so not in my comfort zone but nonetheless it has so much to offer. A tad oxidative but not much it has a kind of mix between chenin blanc from the Loire and a Montrachet type of weight. I can't better descibe it. Just memorable.
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1/16/2022 - jviz wrote: 97 Points
What a treat to taste this wine for the first time. Non blind and poured from the bottle with a sweetbreads course. The marriage here was very good. The wine is aromatically open and expressive. I have a familiarity with the Lopez de Heredia whites over the years, and this wine immediately made me think of the tondonia reserva blanco (I’ve not tasted the gran reserva yet). Here you have a serious wine, medium gold with precisely delineated flavors of raw hazelnut, lemon confit, mandarin orange, a hint of sage. Salty, dry, and quite long on the finish. Relative to my expectation, it showed somewhat youthful. A superb bottle without exception.
If the price tag gives pause however, I’d submit that the LdH Tondonia reserva blanco with some bottle age would take one 95+% of the way here at 1/10 the cost.
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10/16/2021 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 97 Points
Very complex nose with savory notes, slightly oxidative flavors, citrus, and almonds. Intense palate with lovely acidity and flavors of citrus, minerals, and white peach. Long finish. This is an outstanding and super complex wine that's thought provoking and requires time to sit on and reflect. Very impressive as part of a larger dinner, but I would love to just sit down with this over an entire evening by itself...
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8/4/2021 - fournet Likes this wine: 96 Points
Outstanding. Significant evolution over two hours, so worth setting aside and coming back to enjoy later in the evening.
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7/8/2021 - Ebrim Likes this wine: 95 Points
The wine is clear medium golden core with a medium watery rim, developing
The nose is clean, medium intense aromas of yellow apples, plums, oak/vanilla, grilled lemon, pecan nutts, butter, dried figs, developing and very complex
Palate is dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol, medium+ body and high flavour intensity, very high dry-extract with aromas of lemon, yellow apples, liquorice root, plums, pecan nutts, dried figs, oily mouthfeel, very long finish and very complex.
The very well balanced, long lingering finish which changes with time, intese aromas and very high concentration, deep complexity. Outstanding quality, will keep for a very long time. 95p+
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5/30/2021 - acyso wrote: 98 Points
"Nature is healing" (Chicago, IL): I made a terrible mistake in my last note on this wine, as I forgot to indicate that this requires ample, ample air to show its best. Indeed, it was initially a little muted at first, and seemed to blossom as the day wore on (and the bottle got emptier). The nose is generous and waxy, with tons of browned fruit (in a good way) and despite the 21 years in American oak, the oak elements emerge only as an accent to the rest of the wine. Thickly textured and rich, somehow this also manages to stay crisp and fresh as well. Interestingly there is a slight nutty element that emerges with the air even as the fruit continues to become more prominent. A true feat of winemaking. In case there is any doubt about this wine -- just think of it as a red.
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1/27/2021 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
blind
This time not that good as I had it a few times before and for me a bit too alcoholic in the finish. Not easy too detect. Timeless. No really fruit, not too saline but with a great grip and acidity. 95
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12/3/2020 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 94 Points
blind, no decantation
this time not that "big" as the two times before. A bit more alcoholic and not that balanced. Still timeless, no really fruit. not oxidized, not too creamy, a bit nuts. I guessed younger and Vina tondonia. 94+
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10/29/2020 - Montesquieu wrote: 93 Points
Third time drinking this wine, with one bottle left to save for many years. Double decanted for a few hours before drinking. Good wine at 1/10 the price. Definitely would not buy again, though, for $450. IMO, outperformed by the other whites (Yquem Ygrec, Ganevat Vieilles Vignes Chardonnay) on the same evening. Have not experienced the same magic others have with this wine.
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7/20/2020 - lion@corewines.com Likes this wine: 99 Points
This wine is amazing. honey, cantaloupe melon, straw. we drank it over a few hours and it stayed exactly at the same level. boum. i need to go buy more.
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7/14/2020 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 97 Points
blind
just wow again. Timeles beauty. It doesn't fit in any classical white wine region but it is a distinctive wine for its own. 97+ for the next 3 decades. In love
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5/1/2020 - gteran76 wrote: 91 Points
This was one of my top disappointments of all times due to the cost/rave-reviews.
I opened this bottle for a couple friends of ours to have it blind, they though it was a French wine, nobody could tell the grape, and we all agreed it was very interesting. A 100pts? NO! $500? definitely NO!
Maybe I didn’t handed it the right way, I opened it at 11am, placed it back in the cellar to be consumed at 2pm. We then kept a quarter of the bottle and revisit it around 4pm and it was a little better but not a crazy wine as I was expecting...
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3/7/2020 - Burgnick Likes this wine:
Orange peel marmalade, waxy, herbal, and citrus. Super young and dense on the palate. One of a kind white. Very interesting.
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3/2/2020 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Leap Day dinner Trelio's (Clovis Ca.): A first for me...aged in barrel for 21yrs, then concrete for another 6...WOW this is clean and fresh, with a cool subtle oxidativeness. Blind I would be guessing a younger Jura? Pear, white peach, apple skin...has a very pleasing waxiness of lanolin, yet intensely lifted citrus...grapefruit, lemon, orange zest. Exotic florals mingle well with the subtle lees ox...crazy crushed rock minerality...a mesmerizing drink throughout the night!
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2/4/2020 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 98 Points
Blind
From the first bouquet a beautiful white wine. No hint for a typical grape variety, timeless, not oxidized, could live forever. I guessed vina tondonia.dense, herbal notes, great acidity structure, no really fruit notes but everything ist in balance, never ending precise finish. For the next 20 years. 98+
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1/18/2020 - HillbillyWE Likes this wine: 99 Points
1 point off for the thinly walled bottle, but that's just nitpicking. The Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Blanco was easily the best and most interesting white I've had to date. The color was shocking—if I may be so crude, like concentrated urine. On the nose, yeasty notes with pineapple upside-down cake, almond and some citrus. Creamy mouth feel balanced with an beguiling salinity. Unbelievable finesse considering the acidity of this wine. And so focused! Length of finish unmatched in other white wines I've tried.
Hard to know how long this bottle would age but can attest it is amazing now.
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11/2/2019 - DrZett Likes this wine: 97 Points
Fine low acidity. Medium intense body. Absolutely amazing notes of brioche, walnut, hazelnut, caramel and almonds. Very clean and precise - stunning! Just a little oak in the background. Aged for 21!!! years in oak! Wish I had a few bottles in my own cellar. (Tasted at Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2019 Masterclass.)
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10/14/2019 - winesavant68 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Simply perfect. I think some might guess this a red wine given its age and history. Honey orange peel marmalade with a hint of salinity and underpinned with amazing acid this wine is well worth the 30 years it took for Ygay to release it. I think it’s stunning and is beyond words if you find a bottle order immediately
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7/6/2019 - whitmanlholt Likes this wine: 96 Points
Popped and poured. This is a medium-yellow wine, with a general color like urine. The nose is crazy, with many different notes, including various nuts (walnuts and hazelnuts most prominently), flowers, papaya, lemon, and sea breeze. The wine coats the entire mouth, with apple and grapefruit skin elements at the fore, but an array of flavors layered throughout. The finish is very long, with a touch of honey (the unprocessed kind) and walnuts presenting a plush impression. Overall, this is a cool and unique experience. The wine feels much younger than its age. It was a fascinating moment and a privilege to drink something like this (I probably would not go back at $500/bottle, but certainly at $250/bottle). This is a remarkable wine and one that reflects its dramatic upbringing and heritage. I suspect it has a long life ahead, but honestly don’t really know how to calibrate this. It’s good stuff, full stop. 96 points.
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5/31/2019 - ADiamond Likes this wine: 99 Points
Love this wine, drank it over two days much nicer the second day.
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5/20/2019 - Ms. Bubblehead Likes this wine:
Second time having this wine, what a treat! Same as my previous note, it was well balanced and memorable on all fronts, still incredibly fresh and young too. On the palate, it was complex with various types of white and yellow fruits, peach, apricot, lemon curd, and roasted apple, along with almond, lightly roasted walnut, and modest touch of caramel and toffee. Acidity was gentle but very soild, round texture, finish was long, lingering, and intriguing
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2/22/2019 - Ms. Bubblehead Likes this wine:
This was absolutely insanely good wine. I love it!!
On the nose, roasted nuts, light smoke, slightly tropical fruits but gentle, white and yellow flowers, raw almond, and herbal tea, so many things going on on the nose; on the palate, the finish was pretty crazy with touch of aged top whisky and super complex on all fronts, balanced and great lingering acidity, strong minerals, light smoke, herbs, flowers, nuts, and honey, cannot stop drinking it. WOW!
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12/15/2018 - drwine2001 wrote:
1986 Marques de Murrieta Whites and Red, Ancient Lopez de Heredia Tondonia (Los Gatos, California): Full yellow, but lighter color than the 1986 Murrieta Reserva we had next to it (by the way, nowhere near as dark as the bottle pictured on the CT homepage for this wine). Perhaps the freshest aromas of the 3 bottles I've been fortunate enough to drink-no sherry tones, just a smorgasbord of beeswax (like a Raveneau Chablis), honey, discrete fruit, and lord knows what else. Perfect in terms of mouth feel with glycerine and wax in equipoise with deeply imbued acidity. Headspinning complexity and length. I've compared it to great, Semillon-based white Graves, and I think that that is a reasonable starting point for understanding this profound wine, but it also has some of the magical creamy and mysterious elements that you find in the greatest aged white Burgundies. The Reserva of the same year was a fine wine in its own right, but this took things to a completely different level. It should have no problem lasting another decade or more.
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12/12/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
This was simply outstanding and kept getting better and better. And super vibrant as well. Shows no sign of slowing down whatsoever. Wish I could get more!
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12/11/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Fresh as day on the nose and palate. Silky comity. Just opened. Lanolin wax smooth supple.
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11/10/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
This is a great wine if you are into the aged whites. Lots of caramel and those more oxidative flavors (almost a touch of tobacco or something). Well aged for sure. Somehow this didn't quite speak to me as well as I think it should have given the price point. Still, a very nice wine and fun to try.
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11/5/2018 - GonzaloManzaneda Likes this wine: 95 Points
Procedente del Pago de Capellanía, plantado en 1945, en la zona más alta de la finca, a 485 metros.
97% Viura, 3% Malvasía Riojana.
Vendimia manual.
Fermentó en tinas de roble americano.
Crianza en barricas de roble americano de 225 litros durante 252 meses. 67 meses en depósito de hormigón. Embotellado en enero de 2014.
Producción de 8.125 botellas.
Equilibrio perfecto, acidez súper marcada en boca. Pura elegancia.
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10/20/2018 - bkc1428 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Opened by a friend at a dinner at his house. This is something I have wanted to taste for awhile now and I am incredibly lucky to have had the chance.
Incredibly fresh, very little oxidative notes. Time has barely touched this wine. Bruised white peaches and white nectarines, beeswax, lilies and dandelions, almost had this saltiness I would expect from country ham, and so much vibrancy on the finish.
This is a wine that will last for quite some time! As I let it open in my glass, it seemed to somehow gain youth. The Benjamin Button wine, maybe?
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9/24/2018 - psmith wrote: 95 Points
Not unlike the ultra-long cask aged Ygay reds of old, in that it's still very fresh without any hint of oxidation. It did change substantially in the glass for the better, to the point where I would probably decant this if I were to open it. There's great weight and viscosity; sort of an oily semillon quality. That didn't change much with time, but the fruit expanded substantially from an initially pretty wrapped up core. There's coconut and tropical fruit without coming across as oaky or fat. Really good.
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9/24/2018 - acyso wrote: 98 Points
Pausing for the Cause 2018 (Chicago, IL): Fucking incredible. Supernatural freshness and complexity. 252 months in cask, but no oak tannin, no oxidation, just a ridiculous heap of stuffing. There's already so much on the nose, with waxy and earthy elements, and then air causing the fruit to pick up. The palate is silky, with no harshness from anything at all -- just the sort of secondary complexity that is borne with age. Great acidity here balances out that richness, and there's so much fruit to go around (you need to coax that out with air). One of the greatest dry white wines I've ever had the pleasure of opening.
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7/22/2018 - PSPatrick wrote:
At Wine and View Bar at Helsinki Airport. Coravin pour from a bottle about half full. The wine looked very youthful, in particular in light of its age (a full, medium yellow-golden colour). It had a lovely, fresh, complex, expressive nose that included lime juice, white peach, dried flowers, chamomile, beeswax and fino sherry. The palate was not quite as complex as the nose suggested, with very intense lemon curd and nut flavours, which were joined by a waxy component and then mild spice on the finish, all carried by fresh acidity, with a good, waxy mouthfeel and superb length. The wine was unbelievably fresh for its age. And very unique!
That said, while I was amazed by the wine and had never believed to find a 30+ year old white that fresh, I was not as blown away by this wine as the notes of other tasters indicate. The palate did not quite stand up to the complexity suggested by the nose and the upfront intensity and concentration stood in a slightly weird contrast to the more graceful but thinner middle and finish. But don't get me wrong, there is no denying that this is one of the great white wines of the world! (93?)
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5/26/2018 - drwine2001 wrote:
Fiftieth Birthday Dinner with 1968 Riojas and Other Treats (San Francisco): Tulip colored. Waxy aromas mixed with a whiff of fino which disappeared with decanting. A wine of amazingly enveloping texture and amplitude, perfectly balanced by strong acidity and minerality which grew in the glass. Absolutely sublime. Second time tasted (thanks to R and L), and it struck me this time that this is a dead ringer for the highest level of dry Semillon-based wine, like white Haut Brion, for example. What an interesting comparison it would make to taste this side by side with one of those wines.
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4/23/2018 - Andre Brattland wrote: 96 Points
Dette har blitt en liten ikon-vin fra Spania, som ikke akkurat er rimelig å lage. Druen er Viura, med en liten dæsj Malvasia. Vinen er modnet på amerikanske eik i pene 21 år (!), før nye 5 år følger på sementtanker. Når skjedde flaskingen. I 2013….. I Spania lages det jo ganske stort volum på ting, men denne rariteten er det laget kun ca 8000 flasker av.
Vinen stråler perfekt harmoni både på utseende og på aromabildet med balansert intensitet med moden lett tørkede tropiske frukter, honning, nøtteskall og eksklusiv karamell av edleste sort. Et mer eksotisk krydder fanger oppmerksomheten sammen med et pent saltpreg som pirrer og holder interessen oppe. Lenge. På paletten er vinen middels + fyldig med flott dybde i frukten. Lysere tropiske tørkede frukter, fortsatt livlig sitrus, litt våte nøtter, smørtoner, og lett vanilje gir en silkeaktig preg på vinen og med en fløteaktig lang utgang. Vinen er i god balanse, selv om syren er overraskende tilstedeværende og flott.
Dette opplevelses overhodet ikke som en vin som nærmer seg pensjonistalderen. Dette er 45 åringen, som er ferdig med de største livskrisene og har tiår igjen før gamlehjemmet venter og livet er på hell. Om ikke uforløst, så er det enda bedre ting i vente i denne vinen. Ikon-vin dette. 96 poeng. For nå.
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2/17/2018 - NiklasW Likes this wine: 95 Points
A small amount taken with Coravin at the Wine and View Bar in Helsinki Airport. Yes, this is a remarkable wine, wonderful aromas on the nose, rich and expressive, white stone fruits, with a hint of nuttiness and a bit of mushroom. The palate is rich and full, complex, hint of smoke, mouth-filling fruit. For a 30+ year old wine, it's amazing!
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1/18/2018 - ADiamond Likes this wine: 96 Points
It has a very earthy flavor, mushroom, and oak. Fresh and acidic, yet warm and mature.
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10/18/2017 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 97 Points
Second bottle and just as good as I remembered. Unfortunately this was enjoyed all too quickly for it to fully open. Consistent with my note from last year (when I drank a few bottles of this over a couple of hours). Expensive but actually worth it. Will improve for another decade, probably two. Only 2 bottles left - next one in 2025.
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10/1/2017 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 99 Points
A wine that really belongs in a category by itself - remarkable fennel, mushroom, parafin, lemon curd and orange marmalade. 21 years in oak and 6 years in cement. Awesome.
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9/22/2017 - RayOB Likes this wine: 97 Points
Nose of nuts, yellow fruits and pears. Waxy deep long palate. Lovely.
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8/20/2017 - CamWheeler wrote: 99 Points
1967 Dinner with FV and Friends: Glistening golden colour. Every acid shows a different element, bacon and smoky notes, fennel and basil, honey and ginger, apple and pear - the list goes on. Stunning texture, there is some roundness on the palate with vibrant acidity to match. Beautiful composure and balance, this has amazing finesse as well as incredible depth. Mesmerizing stuff.
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7/14/2017 - drwine2001 wrote:
Full yellow. Indescribably complex-light nuts, pear, herbs, etc. Remarkable texture, acidity, and length. This just kept improving for a good 2 hours after the bottle was opened. Everything I had heard was true, which is to say that this was one of the most incredible, memorable dry white wines I've ever had.
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6/27/2017 - forceberry wrote: 99 Points
Viura (97%) with a touch of Malvasia Riojana (3%). Aged for 252 months (21 years) in American oak, followed by 67 months (5½ years) in cement tanks. Bottled in September 2013 and released only after more than 30 years after the harvest. 6,8 grams of acidity and ridiculously low pH of 2,98. Total production 8,125 bottles.
Surprisingly pale color for a wine this old - the appearance is that of pale honey, not deep golden as white wines of this age often are. The nose is remarkably powerful and intense with super-rich, developed aromas of sweet cream and créme brûlèe, some vanilla, a little bit of oaky toasted spice, hints of wizened old lemons and smoke and a touch of dill. What really takes me by surprise is the bracing acidity of the wine - normally these traditionalist Rioja whites are weighty and waxy, but this wine is racy and lively like a Rheingau Riesling! The acidity really brings the flavors alive; there are notes of panna cotta, lemons, green apples, some vanilla, a little bit of browned butter and a hint of beeswax. The long oak aging has concentrated the wine so that its mouthfeel is somewhat oily, yet it is quite light in body due to the freshness from the acidity. The finish is really crisp, sharp and lively with remarkably acid-driven flavors of vanilla, cream, green apples, some wizened old lemons, a little bit of sweet lemon marmalade, a hint of mineral chalky bitterness and a touch of salinity. The mouth-watering and palate-cleansing acidity gives the finish incredible length.
I had heard a lot of positive things of this wine before, but it still outdid my expectations. Stunning complexity, freshness and intensity here with acidity that is ridiculously high. Although the wine is stylistically very similar to the Tondonia Gran Reserva by R. López de Heredia, it is still very different; Tondonia GR is a lot weightier with quite waxy character, whereas this is incredibly racy, lithe and elegant with flavors that are all about complex maturity, yet the wine doesn't feel old one bit. If the high acidity gives any clue to the cellaring potential, I can imagine this wine will outlive me. Quite expensive at 52€ for a 4 cl glass in a bar, but bloody hell it was worth it.
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5/10/2017 - dcwino wrote: 96 Points
Mouton dinner with Philippe Dhalluin and Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Beautiful elegant nose displaying subtle yellow fruit, peach, apricot, honeysuckle, acacia, a hint of sherry, spicy spices, noticeable lanoline, light honey and mineral. Perfectly harmonious, a hint of honey and lanoline driven palate impression, very polished and silky, beautifully layered, rich yet elegant and airy, perfect amount of acidity and a lovely long seamless finish. It is a serious wine yet so delicious. The nose constantly evolves and gains fruit weight. Excellent showing.
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10/25/2016 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 97 Points
There are so many layers and with each tip of the glass, the bouquet seems to change. The hardest part about the '86 Ygay Blanco is not drinking it too fast. There's amazing depth on the palate, with dense textures, yet vibrant and lifted, playing a sweet and sour act on the senses. Minerals, stone fruits, young pineapple, crushed flowers, mushroom, brea, savory herbs... it goes on and on.
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5/3/2016 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 97 Points
Gorgeous wine, enjoyed a bottle with the winemaker but will not be publicly released until this September. 21yrs in US oak followed by 5yrs in concrete and then bottle. Initially very heavy, with deep gold, and lovely almond nose. Big, rich and persistent with lingering salinity. With lots of air this actually reminded me of a top Burgundy! Enjoyed with all courses of a dinner. Highly recommended.
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