Muga Rioja Reserva Unfiltered Red Spanish Wine 750 mL

$38.99

93 Points  Wine Advocate  October 2020

“The red 2017 Reserva, which is sold as Crianza in Spain, is their most popular wine, representing half of the total production of the firm. As is the norm here, it fermented in oak vats and matured in barrels, in this case for 24 months, crafted by their own coopers. The wine is fined with egg whites and kept in bottle for a further 12 months before it’s released. I had the wine in the glass for a very long time, and it didn’t stop improving; it started a little lactic and creamy, and then it got more and more serious. This is the only red they produced this vintage, so all the best grapes that normally go to other wines were used here; those selected grapes helped to keep the volume of this cuvée, and at the same time, it seems to have boosted the quality of this wine, which feels every bit as good as the 2016. It has a serious palate with fine, chalky tannins and very good balance. This is a textbook Muga red and a triumph over the conditions of the year, elegant and balanced, approachable now and with potential to age. In 2017, they produced 936,000 bottles of this wine.”

This time I only tasted eight wines from Muga … and only two were red! They have a new top-of-the-range white in the Flor de Muga brand, so that’s two whites and two rosés, plus the two sparkling wines. So, Muga is not only red! They didn’t produce Prado Enea in 2012 or 2013, so the following vintage will be 2014, and with Torre Muga and Aro, there’s no 2017 or 2018, so we’ll have to wait until the 2019s are released… The last few vintages have been quite”

Description

Bodegas Muja:”The Muga wine cellars were founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga Martínez who originated from a family with strong ties to the winemaking industry. On the death of the founder in 1969, his children Manuel, Isabel and Isaac Muga Caño took over the reins.

Two years later in 1971, they moved their headquarters to their present location in the traditional Station District on the outskirts of Haro. Bodegas Muga has continued to grow as the years have passed but it has never lost the spirit or aptitude of a family-run company.

The winery controls every step of the viticultural and vinification process from the vineyards to making their own barrels and fermenting and aging the wine entirely in oak. Muga is one of only six estates in the world that owns its own cooperage and they import the oak directly from the United States and France. Bodegas Muga is one of the oldest, most elegant and traditional Rioja producers.”—Wine.com

About the wine: Reserva produced from a completely traditional and sustainable style of Riojan viticulture, which is in fact organic, but uncertified. Vineyards that are planted in the coolest, highest altitude parts of Rioja Alta.

Winemaking A pied de cuve is done to guarantee the quality of the indigenous fermentation in vats that are assembled by the winery’s cooper. This is completely unique to Bodegas Muga. The wines are macerated and ferment in these vats and are transferred to barrels assembled at the winery for ageing.

Aging 24 months in barrels with French & American oak chosen and assembled into barrels by Muga’s cooper. 12 months in bottle after egg white fining.

Comments A traditional Rioja Reserva, produced from the most important indigenous Rioja varietals. Bodegas Muga is one of the most traditional and important Rioja wineries, and the only winery in Spain with their own master cooper.

Additional information

Weight 48 oz
Dimensions 5 × 5 × 17 in
Vintage Substitution

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