Bodegas Muga 2018 Rioja Reserva, Seleccion Especial
Item Number: 20 60 170 18
Bodegas Muga 2018 Rioja Reserva, Seleccion Especial
Muga Special Reserve, best wine of the vintage?
Quick Taste
- 96 Points
- All the best grapes went into this wine in 2018
- Aged in French oak
- "combining power and elegance. Amazing!"
- "Straight-up gorgeous on the palate"
About Bodegas Muga 2018 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 2018 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 new French oak. 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.
Wine Enthusiast Magazine scored this 96 points saying "Deep ruby in the glass, this wine offers a bouquet of black cherry, blackberry and licorice. Flavors of black currant, pomegranate, anisette, dark chocolate and black truffle are supported by plush tannins that drift into a cherry-tobacco finish."
The Wine Advocate scored this 95 points saying "They were not very happy with the vintage and had to sort and discard, but as they didn't produce Prado Enea, Torre Muga or Haro, those grapes went into this wine. They are reluctant about 2018, but I think it was a vintage capable of the best and the worst, and this 2018 is floral, expressive and elegant. It's medium to full- bodied, with very fine, chalky tannins, combining power and elegance. Amazing!"
James Suckling scored this 94 points saying "Fresh and dried cherries, oyster shells, spice box and dried herbs on the nose. Flint stone, too. Structured, mineral and very fresh with tight and fine-grained tannins and a medium body. Vibrant and fragrant. Lightly austere at the end. Smaller production and greater selection this year - only Rioja Reserva and Seleccion Especial made."
Jeb Dunnuck scored this 94 points saying "It shows the fresher style of the vintage yet has good richness in its cassis and black raspberry fruit profile as well as notes of tobacco leaf, violets, and spicy oak. Straight-up gorgeous on the palate, it shines for its purity, has ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. I'm a fan."
This 2018 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 new French oak. 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.
Wine Enthusiast Magazine scored this 96 points saying "Deep ruby in the glass, this wine offers a bouquet of black cherry, blackberry and licorice. Flavors of black currant, pomegranate, anisette, dark chocolate and black truffle are supported by plush tannins that drift into a cherry-tobacco finish."
The Wine Advocate scored this 95 points saying "They were not very happy with the vintage and had to sort and discard, but as they didn't produce Prado Enea, Torre Muga or Haro, those grapes went into this wine. They are reluctant about 2018, but I think it was a vintage capable of the best and the worst, and this 2018 is floral, expressive and elegant. It's medium to full- bodied, with very fine, chalky tannins, combining power and elegance. Amazing!"
James Suckling scored this 94 points saying "Fresh and dried cherries, oyster shells, spice box and dried herbs on the nose. Flint stone, too. Structured, mineral and very fresh with tight and fine-grained tannins and a medium body. Vibrant and fragrant. Lightly austere at the end. Smaller production and greater selection this year - only Rioja Reserva and Seleccion Especial made."
Jeb Dunnuck scored this 94 points saying "It shows the fresher style of the vintage yet has good richness in its cassis and black raspberry fruit profile as well as notes of tobacco leaf, violets, and spicy oak. Straight-up gorgeous on the palate, it shines for its purity, has ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. I'm a fan."
Wine Details
- Alcohol % 14.0%
- Bottle Size 750 ml
- Wine Type Red
- Country Spain
- Region Rioja
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