Castillo Ygay is always made from the best grapes sourced from La Plana, a 40-hectare vineyard, planted in 1950 and located at 485 meters above sea level, in the highest area of Ygay State, in Rioja Alta.
Grape varieties: 84% tempranillo and 16% mazuelo. A manually selected harvest is done in small crates to keep the perfect conditions of the grapes.
Grapes are de-stemmed after going through a selection table. The grape varieties ferment separately in stainless steel tanks, with controlled temperature. The alcoholic fermentation lasts 10-12 days approx. making regularly pumping over and punching down and delestage operations to favor the contact of the must with the skins and extract slowly the aromas and the phenolic compounds. After fermentation, the solid parts of the grapes are pressed in vertical presses, through a gentle and slow process that favors the extraction of color and ripe tannins that reside in the skin. After blending, the wine remains 13 months in a concrete tank until bottling.
The tempranillo is aged for 28 months in 225-litre American oak barrels and the mazuelo is aged for 28 months in 225-litre French oak barrels.