Selección Especial, 2018
Winery:
Bodegas Muga
“Fresh and dried cherries, oyster shells, spice box and dried herbs on the nose. Flint stone, too. Structured, mineral and very fresh with tight and fine-grained tannins and a medium body. Vibrant and fragrant. Lightly austere at the end. Smaller production and greater selection this year - only Rioja Reserva and Seleccion Especial made.Try from 2024.” James Suckling
Region:
Spain, Haro (Rioja)
Ratings/Score/Awards:
95pts. Wine Advocate; 94pts. James Suckling & Jeb Dunnuck
Varietal Composition:
Red Blend (70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 7% Mazuelo, 3% Graciano)
Fun Facts:
Selección is only produced in top years and in varying quantities depending on the conditions of each vintage. The wine is the result of a strict selection of the family's oldest plots planted on hillsides and higher altitude sites that have poorer soils. These conditions result in lower yields and higher quality fruit. In the cellar, vinification is similar to flagship Reserva bottling, but Selección Especial sees a higher quality oak treatment, longer ageing, and a final barrel selection.
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 spontaneous and is delayed until late Spring by cooling the cellars with ambient air.
Maturation Mode & Time:
The ageing process begins with six months in new French barrique, followed by two full years in older French and American (70/30) oak barriques. These barrels are aged and coopered on Muga's premises. Muga was the first winery in Spain to have an in-house cooperage. The wines are racked throughout the ageing process and fined with fresh egg whites (cracked by hand) before bottling. The wine is aged for a minimum of 18 months in bottle before release.