Bodegas Muga Reserva 2022

Bodegas Muga Reserva 2022 is an exceptionally elegant, structured, and deeply expressive Spanish red wine crafted by the historic Muga family in Haro, the heart of Rioja Alta. Sourced from estate vineyards planted on clay-limestone soils sheltered by the Obarenes Mountains, this vintage showcases a warm and early-ripening growing season that yielded immense aromatic intensity and pristine fruit character. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented using indigenous yeasts in large wooden vats. True to the bodega's artisanal heritage, the wine is matured for up to 24 months in oak casks handcrafted in their own on-site cooperage, utilizing a combination of 80% to 90% French and 10% to 20% American oak, followed by traditional fining with fresh egg whites and extensive bottle aging. In the glass, it displays a bright ruby-red color with medium-deep intensity and a subtle garnet-tinged rim. The highly expressive and complex nose unrolls a magnificent bouquet of ripe forest fruits, wild blackberries, blueberries, and dark plums, seamlessly layered with notes of black licorice, toasted coffee beans, sweet vanilla, and delicate reminders of forest floor and savory spices. On the palate, this medium-to-full-bodied red is concentrated yet sleek and polished, driving a juicy core of succulent dark berry fruits, chocolate, and baking spices. It perfectly balances its rich mid-palate depth with a vibrant, mouthwatering line of integrated acidity and a powerful frame of firm, silky, and fine-grained tannins that carry into a long, harmonious, and slightly chewy finish.

Food Pairing: Pairs perfectly with grilled prime ribeye steaks, slow-cooked beef stews, roasted lamb shanks, cured Iberian ham, and mature hard cheeses like aged Manchego.

93 Points - James Suckling

Chocolate, dark fruit and spices with pinecone. Medium- to full-bodied, succulent, with polished tannins, length and definition on the finish. This comes from various plots planted within a radius of 25 km from the winery. A blend of tempranillo, garnacha, mazuelo and graciano. Drink or hold.

93 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate