Muga : Reserva 2022

Tasting characteristics and advice for Muga’s Reserva 2022

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a deep, dense purple hue, revealing great viscosity with well-defined legs on the glass.

Nose

The bouquet stands out for its remarkable aromatic intensity. The first nose reveals a pronounced fruit-driven profile with notes of plums, prunes, and blueberries. With aeration, elegant aging aromas then emerge, evoking toasted wood, oak, and delicate hints of cigar box, complemented by subtle woodland notes.

Palate

The texture is incredibly silky, dense, and fleshy. The tannins, firm yet velvety, harmoniously structure the palate, while a moderate, fruit-tinged acidity brings freshness and balance. The finish lingers impressively, with mineral nuances drawn from the region’s limestone soils.

Food and wine pairings

This Reserva 2022 is an ideal match for a grilled ribeye steak, fine cured meats, or slow-cooked dishes. It also pairs perfectly with beef bourguignon, a pumpkin gratin, or stuffed peppers.

Serving and cellaring

This Reserva 2022 is best enjoyed at a temperature between 15 and 18°C. Perfect to enjoy now, it also has the potential to improve in bottle over several years.

An elegant La Rioja Reserva with beautiful aromatic expression

The estate

Founded in 1932 by Don Isaac Muga and Aurora Caño in Haro, Bodegas Muga remains a family estate now run by the third generation, notably Isaac Muga and Jorge Muga Palacín. Established in the heart of La Rioja, the bodega farms 70 hectares of estate-owned vineyards and oversees more than 620 hectares in total. Its defining feature is its artisanal cooperage, rare in Spain, enabling complete control over aging. Growing tempranillo, garnacha, mazuelo, graciano, viura, and malvasía,

The vineyard

The vines are planted around Haro, sheltered by the Montes Obarenes and the Sierra de Cantabria. The terroir is characterized by clay-limestone soils dating from the Tertiary era, giving Rioja wines their distinctive mineral character. This privileged location offers ideal conditions for grape ripening.

The vintage

The 2022 vintage stands out for early harvesting in high temperatures. These conditions favored rapid grape maturation, yielding berries with exceptional aromatic intensity and a pronounced fruit profile.

Winemaking and aging

Harvesting is carried out exclusively by hand. Fermentation takes place in wooden vats with rigorous temperature control. The Reserva 2022 then undergoes 24 months of aging in barrels made in the estate’s cooperage, composed of 80% French oak and 20% American oak. The wine is clarified according to the traditional method using fresh egg whites, before continuing its maturation for a minimum of 12 months in bottle in the estate’s cellars.

Grape varieties

Tempranillo, garnacha tinta, mazuelo, graciano.