Reserva, 2019
Winery:
Bodegas Muga
“This is a structured and linear Muga Reserva with a creamy and fine-tannined backbone and graphite, cherry, plum and black-truffle character. Medium-bodied, racy and beautiful .... Delicious now, but will age beautifully in the cellar.” James Suckling
Region:
Spain, Haro (Rioja)
Ratings/Score/Awards:
94pts. James Suckling and Wine Advocate
Varietal Composition:
Red Blend (70% Tempranillo, 30% Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo)
Fun Facts:
Muga Reserva Unfiltered is Muga's flagship wine, and the only red wine they produce vintage over vintage. This is one of Rioja's most consistent cuvées qualitatively, as Muga declassifies all of their top vineyards, which in top vintages are reserved for Selección Especial, Prado Enea, Torre Muga, and Aro, into the Reserva in years when the top cuvées are not produced.
Technical Data:
Fermentation Mode:
Hand-harvested and transported to the winery in one ton bins to protect the grapes from bruising and crushing. The berries are destemmed and optically sorted, but not crushed. Fermentation is started via pied de cuve in oak vats of varying sizes that are produced on the premises at Bodegas Muga. Muga is the only winery in Spain that builds its own fermentation vats.
Malolactic Fermentation:
Yes. Malolactic is delayed until late Spring by cooling the cellars with ambient air. Malolactic is spontaneous and takes place in the fermentation vessel.
Maturation Mode & Time:
24 months in French (70%) and American (30%) oak barriques that are neutral. These barrels are produced from staves aged in the premises and coopered on the winery's premises. Muga was the first winery in Spain to have an in-house cooperage. The wines are racked periodically throughout the ageing process to and fined with fresh egg whites (cracked by hand) before bottling. The wine is aged for a minimum of 12 months in bottle before release, but most vintages see further bottle ageing.