1952 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

In June 1989, they got permission to use the old label again to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first shipment of wine to America, so the wine was again the 1952 Chateau Ygay, with no more mentions about Reserva or anything. The blend was 73% Tempranillo, 13% Mazuelo, 10% Garnacha and 4% Graciano with 13.1% alcohol, 7.1 grams of acidity (tartaric), 0.74 grams of volatile acidity (acetic acid) and a pH of 2.98. It was bottled in January 1986 after spending eight months in tank and 390 months in American oak barrels. They considered 1952 a very good vintage in Rioja and at the Ygay estate, with 424.7 liters of rain. This was released in 1989. There is a slight change here, the grapes felt a little riper, with perhaps more impact from the oak. It has incredible balance and finesse, and it's fresh and tasty with an almost salty finish. This is superb. It's a little thinner than the 1959, the other wine I tasted from that decade.