Region: Rioja, Spain

Varietal: 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 7% Mazuelo, 3% Graciano

Tasting notes: 2018 was a cooler vintage, with a fairly long maturation. The 'Selección Especial' 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.

Producer: Bodegas Muga is Rioja Alta’s premier producer and the Muga family are unanimously considered to be one of Spain’s most important winemaking families. The winery has practically legendary status due to its philosophy revolving around adherence to tradition, dynamism, and winemaking of the highest quality. Few producers in the world fashion wines that have such a sense of tradition and place as Muga’s. The wines of Muga have an absolutely distinct, unique, and inimitable profile. Bodegas Muga was officially founded in 1932 by the Muga family, who at that point had spent several decades working as viticulturists in Rioja Alta. At the time, the Mugas were in the negociant business of buying, blending, and ageing wine. Soon after the foundation of the cellars they started production of their own estate grown wines. The winery is still owned by the Mugas and every single aspect of its operation is controlled and overseen by the family.

Vineyard and Winemaking: Made up predominately of Tempranillio, the fruit comes from The Terrazas Ebro Vineyard within Barrio de la Estación of the Rioja DOCa, and was planted between 1946 and 1986. The vineyard is uncertified organic and the vines grow upon beds of alluvial calcareous clay. A pied de cuve is done to guarantee the quality of the indigenous fermentation in vats that are assembled by the winery's cooper. This is completely unique to Bodegas Muga. The wines are macerated and fermented in these vats and are transferred to barrels assembled at the winery for ageing. The wine ages for 26 months in barrels with French oak chosen and assembled into barrels by Muga’s cooper before resting for another 12 months in the bottle.