2010 Bodegas Muga "Prado Enea" Gran Reserva Rioja

This is the most classical among the wines in the portfolio, the one with the longer élevage, a little bit like the wines from yesteryear but with today's knowledge about vineyards and vinification/élevage. This has settled to a blend of approximately 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and the remaining 10% between Mazuelo and Graciano, from the cooler, higher-altitude vineyards, which means they only bottle it every two or three years. In recent years, 2007 and 2008 were not bottled. It ferments in small oak vats built by their own tonneliers, and they like to delay malolactic until the spring by opening the windows so the cold from outside comes into the winery. For the aging, each variety goes into separate barrels racked from newer to older barrels to complete some 36 months or three years. It has very healthy and balanced parameters, and that's what the wine feels like. It's still young. It's never a dark wine, more of a ruby or bright color, and it has a nose of youth, subtle and elegant. But the quality shows in the unbelievable elegance and harmony on the palate, where the tannins are very fine, the flavors are subtle but deep and the length is just phenomenal. This is only medium-bodied, with perfect ripeness and integrated acidity. (LG)

While the 2009 vintage represents elegance and finesse, this release of Muga's most famous cuvee is all about power. Intensely flavored and deeply structured, this one should spend several more years in the cellar before the furthest reaches of its complexity will rise to the surface. After allowing the wine to breathe for some time, dark cherries, ripe plum, and decadent mocha seeped from the glass amid silky but firm tannins. The spice on the finish seems a touch subtler than in the previous vintage, but perhaps it was simply taking a back seat to the dynamic display of lush fruit and dense earth. In time, this bottle could bring one to tears. Tasting it is a privilege every wine lover should experience.