Bodegas Muga 2022 "Riserva" Rioja

Value of the Year                                                                             One of Rioja's finest reds from Miuga, introducing Torre Muga. Limited. *Wine Spectator #1 Wine Value of 2025* 94 Points Jeb Dunnuck: "The winery’s flagship, the wine that introduced Muga to the world, the 2021 Muga Reserva is Tempranillo-dominant, with Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano filling in the gaps. A larger-production wine, it offers tremendous quality, fermented in wooden vats using indigenous yeasts, the grapes separated by quality, soil type, and village origin. This one in particular is from a beautiful vintage and practically beams in full-bodied concentration, with supple, silky tannins and light touches of oak spice, cedar, balsamic, and white pepper. A new release, it should continue to thrive another 15-20 years." 94 Points Robert Parker: "The grapes for the Muga 2021 Reserva (sold as Crianza in Spain), mostly Tempranillo with some Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano, were picked late in a cooler year when they finished the harvest the 20th of October, with plenty of times for the grapes to develop full aromas and flavors and complete ripeness. It fermented destemmed and lightly crushed in oak vats with indigenous yeasts, separating qualities, villages and soils, and matured in 80% French and 20% American oak barrels, 20% of them new, for 24 months, with racking every eight to nine months. It's a textbook example of their style in a very good year, with power, concentration and clout, elegance and freshness. It was a very harmonious year; the cycle was long and the tannins ripened to perfection. It's terrific." 92 Points Wine Spectator: "This is fresh and minerally up front, opening to reveal a fine mesh of chopped cherry and plum skin flavors, with fragrant hints of ground coffee, smoked paprika and dried marjoram. Sculpted tannins define the long, slightly chewy finish. Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. Drink now through 2035." Composed of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 7% Mazuelo, and 3% Graciano, the Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva is 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. The vines grow on terraced calcareous clay soils from the Tertiary or Cenozoic period. The climate is continental with Atlantic influences.  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. The wine is aged 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.