2017 Bodegas Muga Reserva Rioja

Lovely, succulent red with juicy berries and plums, together with some chocolate, spice, walnut and cedar. It’s medium-bodied with round tannins and a flavorful finish. Touch of dried fruit in the center palate. A pretty combination of savory and fresh-fruit character. Some orange peel as well. A baby Prado Enea. Drink now. (10/2020)

The red 2017 Reserva, which is sold as Crianza in Spain, is their most popular wine, representing half of the total production of the firm. As is the norm here, it fermented in oak vats and matured in barrels, in this case for 24 months, crafted by their own coopers. The wine is fined with egg whites and kept in bottle for a further 12 months before it's released. I had the wine in the glass for a very long time, and it didn't stop improving; it started a little lactic and creamy, and then it got more and more serious. This is the only red they produced this vintage, so all the best grapes that normally go to other wines were used here; those selected grapes helped to keep the volume of this cuvée, and at the same time, it seems to have boosted the quality of this wine, which feels every bit as good as the 2016. It has a serious palate with fine, chalky tannins and very good balance. This is a textbook Muga red and a triumph over the conditions of the year, elegant and balanced, approachable now and with potential to age. (LG) (10/2020)

Vivid red. Energetic red fruit, floral and spice scents take on a minerally aspect with air. Silky, seamless and penetrating on the palate, offering appealingly sweet raspberry and cherry flavors that show good depth and a surprisingly airy touch. Deftly blends power and finesse and finishes very long and smooth, with subtle tannic grip and repeating red fruit and floral notes. This is the only red wine that the Muga family made in 2017, such was the crop loss, which means that fruit that would normally have gone into their high-end bottlings wound up here. (JR) (4/2021)

A nose with vanilla and spiced berry aromas is typical of Muga and provides a nice entry for the saturated but integrated palate of this wine. Saucy plum, tomato, berry and vanilla flavors finish with textural integrity and length. (MS) (8/2021)

Quite simply, Muga is a benchmark in Rioja. Featuring a combination of owned and contracted vineyards in Rioja Alta, many of which are in higher elevation locales, and employing a vinification in oak uprights followed by patient elevage in barrels, these wines faithfully represent traditional Rioja Alta style, year after year.