BASICS:
PRODUCER: Bodegas Muga
VINTAGE: 2017
WINE: Rioja Reserva
PRICE: $26.95 per bottle
REGION: Rioja – Spain
TECHNICAL:
GRAPES: 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 10% Graciano + Mazuelo
CLOSURE: Natural cork
ALCOHOL: 13.0%
BOTTLE SIZE: 750mL
CASE PACK: 12 x 750mL
ENJOY:
IDEAL TEMPERATURE: 16°C to 18°C
CELLARING: Drink now and over the next 8 to 10 years
WITH FOOD: Lamb, pork, beef, cured meats, and full-flavoured cheeses
PERFECT RECIPE: Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes – RECIPE
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MUGA RIOJA RESERVA TASTING TAGS:
#RIOJA #TEMPRANILLO #SMOOTH RED #SPAIN
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EXPERT OPINIONS:
“The Muga family thinks the rains of 2014 benefited many of their vineyards, which are in cooler places at higher altitudes and take longer to ripen. So, they are really happy with their 2014 Reserva, the flagship bottling which delivers the Muga style and the typicity of the Rioja Alta at a very attractive price and with good availability because they produced one million bottles of it! They select the gentler sites from within the cooler parts of Rioja where their vineyards are located, as this is their more approachable red. It fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts, matured in barriques for two winters and was bottled in its third year. It has the telltale aromas of spices and berry fruit, with the Muga signature and a medium-bodied palate with some dusty tannins that would welcome food.” -LG, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate
91 / 100 Points
– & –
“Aged for two years in a combination of new and used French and American oak barrels. Bright ruby. Expressive aromas of ripe red fruits and candied flowers, along with allspice, vanilla and pipe tobacco topnotes. Juicy and appealingly sweet, offering juicy black raspberry, cherry-vanilla and mocha flavors and a spicy nuance that emerges as the wine opens up. Finishes sappy, penetrating and quite long, with smooth, slow-building tannins that fold smoothly into the wine’s sappy fruit.” -Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
92 / 100 Points
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