Bodegas Muga 2016 Rioja Reserva, Seleccion Especial
Item Number: 20 60 170 16
Bodegas Muga 2016 Rioja Reserva, Seleccion Especial
Muga Seleccion Especial is Rioja Reserva, nly made in very good years!
Quick Taste
- 95 Points!
- "take(s) you to where you want to go in fine Rioja red"
- "This is among the best vintages of Selección Especial."
- "Always a terrific wine... just a class act."
About Bodegas Muga 2016 Rioja Reserva, Seleccion Especial
Over the years as Bodegas Muga has gained worldwide recognition for its outstanding wines it holds on to the spirit of a family-run company. They carefully control every step of the viticultural and vinification process from the vineyards to making their own barrels and fermenting and aging the wine entirely in oak. Muga is one of only six estates in the world that owns its own cooperage and they import the oak directly from the United States and France. Bodegas Muga is one of the oldest and most traditional producers in Rioja.
This Seleccion Especial is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 7% Mazuelo and 3% Graciano that are fermented with indigenous yeasts in oak vats. The wine aged for 26 months in casks made in the winery with their own cooperage from selected oak, 40% new. Before bottling the wine is fined with fresh egg whites. Once bottled it ages in bottle for at least twelve months in their cellars before release.
James Suckling scored this 95 points saying "A very pretty, manicured young red with plum, berry and dark-chocolate character. Medium body and round tannins that are focused and firm. Delicious, succulent finish. Plenty of subtle fruit and supple tannins take you to where you want to go in fine Rioja red. Drinkable now but linear and tight. Give it some time. Better after 2021."
The Wine Advocate scored this 94+ saying "The current vintage of the red that is their first option to have with food is the 2016 Selección Especial, whose grapes are selected from terraced vineyards in the Montes Obarenes and the Sierra Cantabria, from vines averaging 35 years of age. It fermented in oak vats and matured in French oak barrels for 26 months, and it's kept in bottle for at least 18 months before it's sold. This is serious and has freshness and some restraint in the palate; it's much more expressive, floral and aromatic and with more-integrated oak than the wines from five+ years ago. It's a more elegant vintage than the 2015 and every bit as good, or a tad better. Winemaker Isaac Muga considers 2016 a very good harvest. It was bottled in April 2019. This is among the best vintages of Selección Especial."
Jeb Dunnuck scored this 94 points saying "Always a terrific wine, the 2016 Selección Especial is based on 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, and the rest Graciano and Mazuelo. Almost Rhône-like with its spicy, meaty, gamey style, this beauty offers lots of red and black currants, cedary spice, incense, and tobacco aromas and flavors. It's medium to full-bodied, has terrific balance, silky tannins, and is just a class act. The 2015 is a richer, more opulent wine, while the 2016 shows a touch more freshness and elegance. Both are beautiful vintages worth buying, cellaring, and drinking."
This Seleccion Especial is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 7% Mazuelo and 3% Graciano that are fermented with indigenous yeasts in oak vats. The wine aged for 26 months in casks made in the winery with their own cooperage from selected oak, 40% new. Before bottling the wine is fined with fresh egg whites. Once bottled it ages in bottle for at least twelve months in their cellars before release.
James Suckling scored this 95 points saying "A very pretty, manicured young red with plum, berry and dark-chocolate character. Medium body and round tannins that are focused and firm. Delicious, succulent finish. Plenty of subtle fruit and supple tannins take you to where you want to go in fine Rioja red. Drinkable now but linear and tight. Give it some time. Better after 2021."
The Wine Advocate scored this 94+ saying "The current vintage of the red that is their first option to have with food is the 2016 Selección Especial, whose grapes are selected from terraced vineyards in the Montes Obarenes and the Sierra Cantabria, from vines averaging 35 years of age. It fermented in oak vats and matured in French oak barrels for 26 months, and it's kept in bottle for at least 18 months before it's sold. This is serious and has freshness and some restraint in the palate; it's much more expressive, floral and aromatic and with more-integrated oak than the wines from five+ years ago. It's a more elegant vintage than the 2015 and every bit as good, or a tad better. Winemaker Isaac Muga considers 2016 a very good harvest. It was bottled in April 2019. This is among the best vintages of Selección Especial."
Jeb Dunnuck scored this 94 points saying "Always a terrific wine, the 2016 Selección Especial is based on 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, and the rest Graciano and Mazuelo. Almost Rhône-like with its spicy, meaty, gamey style, this beauty offers lots of red and black currants, cedary spice, incense, and tobacco aromas and flavors. It's medium to full-bodied, has terrific balance, silky tannins, and is just a class act. The 2015 is a richer, more opulent wine, while the 2016 shows a touch more freshness and elegance. Both are beautiful vintages worth buying, cellaring, and drinking."
Wine Details
- Alcohol % 14.0%
- Bottle Size 750 ml
- Wine Type Red
- Country Spain
- Region Rioja
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