The 2020 Muga Rioja Reserva is a classic blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano, aged 24 months mostly in French oak. It’s ripe and juicy with soft tannins, bright acidity, and tasty spice — a smooth, balanced red that’s easy to enjoy now but can also age well. Great with steak, charcuterie, or hearty casseroles.

Jamessuckling.com | RP 93
Published: Feb 29, 2024
Drink: 2024-2029 

The 2020 Reserva showcases wines from the Haro region and is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano fermented in oak vat with a seven-day maceration. It was aged in barrel for 24 months—80% French and the rest are from central Europe and America. It was bottled at 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.55. This is a very reliable wine, keeping the profile year after year: ripe, juicy with integrated oak, spicy and tasty, with fine tannins with an approachable profile. This is a gentler year that is going to be a success with the general public. Balanced and gentle. They produced 936,000 bottles. It was bottled in June 2023.

The Muga family keeps buying vineyards and already has 475 hectares of vineyards (owned and some 90 hectares of those rented) and are even planting some new ones. They have bought the facilities of the Labastida cooperative (only the buildings) because they have grown to some two million bottles, especially with the new brand, El Andén de la Estación, which is close to 200,000 bottles, but also in whites and sparkling wine. 

Jamessuckling.com | JS 92
Published: Aug 17, 2023

Ripe but fresh nose of currants, blackberries, chocolate and plums. Not a big red, rather fluid and medium-bodied with soft tannins. A juicy, drinkable Muga Reserva that is already appealing. Enjoy now.

Bodegasmuga.com

Tasting
This 2020 vintage has a bright ruby-red colour, with medium depth and a garnet-tinged rim. 
On the nose you discover an intense, complex wine. Aromas of wild fruits of the forest (blackberries and blueberries) come to the fore, with hints of spices.
On the palate it is long, elegant and nicely balanced. 
Its sharp acidity is perfectly integrated and it has soft tannins. The finish is very long and full of fruit. Perfect for drinking now but, thanks to its good balance and structure, it can be kept in the bottle for several years.

Vinification process
Manual harvesting. Fermentation in wooden vats with controlled temperatures. Aged for 24 months in casks made in our own coopers’ workshop with selection of the sources. The origin of the wood is 80% French oak and 20% American. Before bottling the wine is fined using fresh egg whites. It then spends a minimum of 12 months in our bottle cellar to give it greater complexity and finesse. 

Food pairing
This wine will be an excellent accompaniment to meat dishes like a ribeye steak, as well as with charcuterie and all kinds of casseroles. 

Grapes varieties
Tempranillo, Garnacha tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano