The historic winery is located in the Spanish Rioja sub-region Rioja Alta near Logroño. It was founded in 1852 by Peruvian-born Luciano Francisco Ramón Murrieta García Ortiz Lemoine (1822-1911). He is regarded as an important Rioja pioneer, who introduced many new techniques such as ageing in barrique barrels at that time in Spain and exported Rioja wines in bottles for the first time. In 1872 the winery Castillo Ygay was acquired, where today the wines are vinified. The Spanish King Amadeo I (1845-1890) awarded him the title of Marqués de Murrieta for his merits in producing high quality wines from Rioja, but also for his social commitment to improving living conditions for the workers. In 1983, Vicente Cebrián Sagarriga (from the aristocratic Creixell family) took over the winery; today it is run by his son Vicente Dalmau Cebriàn. The oenologist in charge is Maria Vargas.
The vineyards cover more than 300 hectares of vineyards planted with the red varieties Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano and Cabernet Sauvignon, and the white varieties Garnacha Blanca, Malvasia Riojana(Alarije) and Viura(Macabeo). The wines are among the most persistent in the region. The top product "Castillo Ygay" comes from 140 hectares of vineyards. The wine is produced in red and white varieties. The red Gran Reserva matures for ten years in oak barrels and is only produced once or twice per decade. The English wine author Hugh Johnson called it the "Mouton-Rothschild of Spain". The outstanding 1925 Gran Reserva Especial vintage is considered the wine of the century. The white "Dorado de Murrieta Reserva" (over 90% Viura, Malvasía Riojana, Garnacha Blanca) matures for 40 months in oak barrels. Around 1.8 million bottles of wine are produced annually.
