Prado Enea Gran Reserva Muga Rioja 2016

Prado Enea Gran Reserva Muga, Rioja, Spain, 2016   

Grapes: A blend of 80% Tempranillo, 7% Garnacha (Grenache), 7% Mazuelo (Carignan) & 6% Graciano grown on clay-limestone and alluvial soils at an altitude of 550 metres.

The grapes for Prado Enea are always the last to be harvested. This is because of the careful selection of high-altitude plots with a fine quality, located in the north-west of the Rioja Alta, in the villages of Sajazarra, Cellorigo and Fonzaleche. The grapes ferment in oak vats with no addition of yeast or temperature control. The maceration period is for 16 days. This is followed by a minimum 36 months in French and American oak casks. At the end of the cask ageing the wine is lightly fined with egg whites before bottling and is then stored in our cellars for at least another 36 months, in order to complete the ageing process.

Prado Enea Gran Reserva 2016 has a black-cherry colour with medium depth. On the nose, we find an elegant collection of forest fruit (blackberries) with spices like cloves and cinnamon. It has a silky-smooth attack with medium body and a very long, pleasant passage through the mouth. Velvety tannins are in perfect harmony with fresh and well-integrated acidity. You can also find creamy and vanilla notes mingling with fresh fruit

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"The expressive, complex and nuanced 2016 Prado Enea Gran Reserva is a textbook traditional Rioja in the making. 2016 was a very elegant year, with aging potential, volume and very good acidity and freshness. It's full-bodied but fine-boned, has 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.6 and 5.25 grams per liter acidity. It has terrific balance, with all the components in the right proportion to age superbly in bottle. They have also been working on the selection of wood used. This wine matured in French and American oak barrels for three years, and the oak is super integrated. 127,808 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2020. It was an exceptional year with volume and quality." Drink 2024-2040

97+/100 points, Luis Gutierrez, WINE ADVOCATE, February 2024

"Deep ruby in color, this wine has a nose of cocoa powder, coffee bean, lavender and cherry. It is smooth at first sip, with tannins that slowly build in volume and then drift away to reveal black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, mint and orange-zest flavors. The brilliant finish is marked with a floral note. Drink through 2036."

97/100 points, WINE ENTHUSIAST, July 2024

Also awarded 96/100 points by Tim Atkin MW, January 2024

This wine pairs well with casseroles, meat dishes (particularly roast lamb), fish and cheese; and it can even be enjoyed on its own, without any accompaniment.