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Muga Reserva Selección Especial 2010 75cl

DOCa | Rioja Alta | Rioja | Spain
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Critics scores
93 Robert Parker
The 2010 Reserva Selección Especial is always the most food-oriented of their reds, a blend similar to the one found in the Reserva, 65% Tempranillo with some 20% Garnacha, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, but here the grapes are sourced from older vineyards in higher-altitude terraces where there are poorer soils and the grapes have an extra degree of freshness. The wine is also aged for longer in barrel and it's slightly marked by toast aromas, but the bright fruit underneath is quite pure, and comes through very recognizable as Rioja. A second bottle showed fresher (the cork on the first one was a bit dry), even brighter and more transparent fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins that would benefit from some more time in bottle and have a long life ahead. There is very good acidity and fine balance. It's a wine that is perfect for the table. A great Selección Especial. 200,000 bottles produced. The Muga wines are going from strength to strength. There's no Aro in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and 2014 is still starting malolactic and they don't know if the quality will be there. So if you like this cuvée look for previous vintages, as there won't be any new ones available for a while. It's a wine with plenty of Graciano, a grapes that does not ripen properly every vintage. I also included here their sparkling rosé produced at the winery from grapes grown within the limits of Rioja, but belonging to the Cava appellation. The highlight of the current portfolio is the 2006 vintage of Prado Enea.
91 Wine Spectator
Lively, tart acidity gives this bright red a lip-smacking character, driving the berry, licorice and citrus flavors through the racy palate. Light, firm tannins provide ballast. Distinctive and food-friendly. Drink now through 2020. 1,000 cases made.
Producer
Bodegas Muga
Located in the defining terroir of Haro, this family-owned bodega has been producing traditional wines using modern techniques since 1932. There are no stainless-steel vats at Muga, so everything is fermented in oak, following old-fashioned procedures they also, use natural fining processes, and gravity-fed decanting to instill Riojan authenticity. The Cano family even employs a master cooper and three in-house barrel-makers, making Muga the only cellar in Spain to do so. Historic Rioja at its best, their Reserva, Reserva Selección Especial, and Prado Enea Gran Reserva are chiefly Tempranillo - showing the rounded mellow characteristics, while the notions of Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano pack the punch of thrilling warming notes. Their most contemporary styled, Torre Muga, blends Mazuelo and Graciano with mostly Tempranillo, for an impressive new blackberry fruited wine. The bodega, year after year, produces the most reliable and affordable Reservas. But they also offer a delicious higher-end wine called Aro. It is a complex blend of 60-year-old Tempranillo and Graciano, which is aged for 18 months in new French oak.