Weinhandelshaus Scholzen

The largest volume of the Muga winery is for the red blend 2016 Reserva, a wine that is sold as 2016 Crianza in Spain (for commercial reasons). This has the Muga style and the imprint of the cool and fresh 2016 vintage, one of the best vintages of recent years. 2016 is also a year of harmony and freshness that reminds me a little of the 2010. But the Muga family thinks it's somewhere between 2010 and 2011, because for them 2011 is not so warm, even if it generally produced quite ripe wines. It has a mixture of red and black fruit with sweet spices that are very integrated and in harmony. The palate is silky and clean, and the tannins are round and gentle. A delicious Reserva/Crianza. They produced around one million bottles of this. It was bottled in January 2019. They like to bottle the wine in winter, perhaps in a couple of months.

Muga own close to 350 hectares of vineyards, as they think that even if you pay very high prices for grapes, you don't get the same quality as you get from your own vineyards. Some ten years ago, they had maybe 130 or 140 hectares of vineyards, and they are going to continue buying quality vineyards when they become available. So, they have increased their vineyards but production is stable. 2018 has been a variable vintage, with enough water and a tendency for high yields that they control, but they will probably produce Crianza/Reserva and perhaps Selección Especial, so no Torre Muga, Prado Enea or Aro. In 2017, they only produced their Crianza/Reserva. They are very happy with 2015 and 2016, even if they are different.

Wine Spectator 90, A lively, lithe and elegant red, featuring cherry, currant and tangerine flavors that mingle with vanilla and tarragon notes. Light, firm tannins and juicy acidity keep this focused. Good intensity. Drink now through 2024. 80,000 cases made, 13,500 cases imported. — TM