Long a favorite of our discerning clientèle, the Marques de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial is produced only in the finest vintages from the fruit of Tempranillo and Mazuelo vines harvested by hand from an 80 year-old single vineyard called La Plana located at the highest point within the Ygay estate surrounding the winery in the southern point of the Rioja Alta wine subzone. The Tempranillo was harvested on the 27th of September and the Mazuelo on the 13th of October. The grapes were first carefully de-stemmed and crushed, then fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for 11 days with daily remontage and pigeage to help develop the wine's personality and to ensure maximum color and aroma without excessive tannin. The Tempranillo spent 28 months in 225-liter American oak barrels (the Mazuelo is aged in French oak barrels), and then three years in the bottle before being released to the market. Deep, deep ruby in color just barely faded at the edges; bold and complex slate of aromas suggestive of cool cedar, crème brulée, toast, leather, then a freshening fermentative flourish of macerated berries and kirsch; cool and polished on the tongue, rich and round with elegant intensity of flavor, then long and warm and lasting on the finish. Gran Reserva Especial, indeed!

In centuries gone by, casks of sherry were lashed to ships sailing for the Indies as ballast and were found to develop an extraordinary smoothness and complexity. Lustau has revived this style of sherry in the East India Solera wine, an inspired mingling of about 85% aged dry (20 years old) Oloroso with about 15% aged (10 years old) sweet Pedro Ximenez blended then aged an additional 5 years in the warmest part of the bodega, la sacristia. Raisined fruit, candied citrus peel, macerated cherries, caramel and roasted almonds are common descriptors that we might put forward, but somehow there is something left to be described – an ineffable – as if a benevolent form of alchemy were having its way with an already wonderful raw material. Richly textured and flavorful; just sweet; assuages the tongue whilst giving all its wonderful complexity of flavor. Regularly $24.99 the bottle, on sale now at: