Half of Muga Reserva, Rioja 2016 is no longer available
This is a carousel with zoom. Use the thumbnails to navigate, or jump to a slide. Use the zoom button to zoom into a image.
Sold Out
Half of Muga Reserva, Rioja 2016
The new 2016 of this popular and consistently brilliant reserva Rioja is powerful, dense and full-bodied. Just released, this Spanish red will benefit from some patience or decant an hour or two before serving.
is no longer available
Code: SP15612
Wine characteristics
- Red Wine
- Full-bodied
- Tempranillo
- 37.5cl (Half Bottle)
- Now to 2026
- 14% Alcohol
- bouquet/flavour marked by oak
- Cork, natural
Muga
Muga, the most traditional of Rioja’s bodegas, with not a stainless steel tank in sight, is based in the old railway quarter of Haro, capital of Rioja Alta. Founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga Marínez and his wife Auro Caño, both from winemaking families, it is run today by their three sons.
Winemaker Jorge Muga leads from the front with his meticulous attention to detail in all areas of production. The cellars not only include the usual fermentation and ageing rooms but also an in-house cooperage which makes the barrels, from a variety of oak sources, which are so key to the Muga style. At any given time, there are some 17 thousand barrels here, of which around 60% are French – mainly Allier and Tronçais – while the rest are made from American oak shipped from Kentucky and Ohio. Whatever its origins, it is all air-dried here for two years before being profiled, compressed, shaped and toasted by the Muga coopering team.
Visiting tastebuds will limber up, in preparation for the bodega’s classic reds, with a refreshing modern white or mouth-watering rosado. Muga Blanco is a creamy 90% viura with 10% malvasia, three months in Allier barrels giving just a subtle dash of oak. Muga Rosado, harvested from specific plots is a saigneé blend of grenache, viura and tempranillo – is fermented in small wooden vats.
The reds are overwhelmingly tempranillo-based, deriving additional complexity from smaller amounts of garnacha, mazuelo (aka carignan) and graciano to complete the house style....