Great Wine Shop in San Sebastian

[Schneier]

I found a great wine shop in Spain. In San Sebastian, about an hour (or two, depending on your route) East along the coast from Bilbao. It's Vinos Ezeiza, on Prim 16 (+34 943 46 68 14).

(Finding it was not accidental. I asked the sommelier at Akelare to recommend a wine store in San Sebastian.)

It's a dusty old shop, filled with interesting wines. Mostly Spanish, mostly Riojas, but lots of other stuff as well. (He had a bunch of Vega Sicilia wines that were outside my price range.) And older stuff: wines from the 50s, 60s, and 80s. Some French, even.

The old guy who runs it speaks no English, but he's great. He definitely knows his stock.

This is what I left with. (I flew to Spain with an empty 12-bottle wine shipper.)

1 x 1964 Vina Albina Rioja

2 x 1982 Montecillo Gran Reserva Rioja

3 x 1991 Vina Real Gran Reserva Rioja

2 x 1994 Vina Real Gran Reserva Rioja

1 x 1995 Vina Real Gran Reserva Rioja

2 x 1994 R. Lopez de Herdia Rioja

1 x 1995 R. Lopez de Herdia Rioja

And he gave me a bottle of local Basque white as a gift. I'm going to buy some cod to have it with.

Most of the bottles were 20 or 25 euros, with the older three being as much as 50 euros. (My total bill for the 12 wines was 330 euros.)

I have no idea how often anyone gets to this part of the world, but if you do happen to get there this shop is worth a trip. He said that he's open from 8:00 to 8:00, without a siesta.

[The Viking]

Mmm... Then again: Some of us would rather that this shop's location was never made public....

Got my loast two bottles of Castillo Ygay 1934 here.

[vserna]

At very least, it seems to be a great place for one type of wine - traditional-style red Rioja.

Edited December 3, 2005 by vserna (log)

[Schneier]

At very least, it seems to be a great place for one type of wine - traditional-style red Rioja.

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They had more than that. They had a lot of Spanish reds and whites, including a huge selection of Basque wine. That had a surprising selection of old French wines. They had a bunch of other things.

I bought the Rioja's, though.

[dfunghi]

'34 Ygay? Was it ready to drink yet? I had the '68 about a year ago and it was young and tight.

[The Viking]

'34 Ygay? Was it ready to drink yet? I had the '68 about a year ago and it was young and tight.

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I've been fortunate to be able to taste most of the Castillo Ygay wines from last century;

-34: Some bottle and level variations, but withstood a half hour in decanter, but will not develop any further. Slightly dried fruit on the palate. Tasted 5 times, the last time slightly in decline.

-25: First tasted at Arzak in 1992, then fantastic, sweet with its pale colour belying its concentration. Last bottle tasted 1 year ago (bottle bought in SS), this one also drying out.

-42: THE best Rioja ever tasted: Awesome concentration, vibrant colour, lush fruit, enormous aftertaste. Similar to Grand Echezeaux 1978 from DRC.

-52: Intense colour and dtaste, youthful with lots of potential and a long life ahead of it. (Gold label; Chateau Ygay).

-59: Also extremely good, slighly more developed in its secondary aromas, and probably not as expensive as the above mentioned, and definetely better than the

-64: To me the only dissapointment, a bit moldy (2 occasions) and had expected better from a stellar vintage.

-68: A potential classic.

-70: Not as concentrated as the -68, but with good tannin/acidity balance, extremely intense.

-78: Tasted, but cannot recollect.

-87: Still have some in my cellar, good but not stellar, and already partially showing the change in winemaking for the Castillo Ygays with early release etc..

94/95(Early release): tasted on numerous occasions, good, correct, but to me NOT the real Castillo Ygay. Will rather wait for the late release versions.

personally I think that the Murrietas should let this line still be made in the traditional way, Rioja and Spain is at this time flooded with highly concentrated, extracted, dark wines made more in an international manner. Let this wine still keep its particular and special identity!