Muga Reserva Rioja 2020

Bodegas Muga Reserva, Rioja, Haro, Spain, 2020   

Grapes: A blend of Tempranillo 70%, Garnacha 20%, Mazuelo and Graciano 10%

Producer Tasting Note:

The 2020 Reserva wine has a bright, ruby-red colour with medium depth and a garnet rim. Intense and complex on the nose, where you can find primary fruit aromas of raspberry and blackberry, secondary aromas of vanilla and liquorice and a subtle hint of tertiary aromas such as chocolate and ripe fruit. Very well-balanced on the palate, with good acidity and soft tannins. The finish is long and fruity. Perfect for enjoying now, but also thanks to its great balance and structure, a wine you can lay down for a number of years.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"The 2020 Reserva showcases wines from the Haro region and is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano fermented in oak vat with a seven-day maceration. It was aged in barrel for 24 months—80% French and the rest are from central Europe and America. It was bottled at 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.55. This is a very reliable wine, keeping the profile year after year: ripe, juicy with integrated oak, spicy and tasty, with fine tannins with an approachable profile. This is a gentler year that is going to be a success with the general public. Balanced and gentle." Drink 2024 - 2029

93/100 points, Luis Gutierrez, WINE ADVOCATE, February 2024

"A rich, savory thread of tobacco, smoke and ground coffee underscores flavors of creamed cherry and blackberry fruit, black olive, orange peel and cocoa powder in this fresh and focused red. Medium-bodied and well-knit, with lightly chewy tannins firming the finish. Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano." Drink now through 2030

91/100 points, Alison Napjus, WINE SPECTATOR, August 2024 (#51 in 2024 Wine Spectator "Top 100")

Also awarded 93/100 points by Tim Atkin MW, January 2024

Bodegas Muga is one of the most traditional producers in Rioja Alta with a 90 year history of winemaking. With harvesting by hand, natural indigenous yeast fermentation in wooden vats, ageing for 24 months in oak barrels (80% French & 20% American), egg white fining before bottling followed by a minimum of 12 months' cellar ageing before release, these are wines to be savoured.