2010 Torre Muga Reserva

Dark purple. Powerful blueberry, cassis, rose oil, licorice and mocha on the explosive nose. Broad and sweet in the mouth, with potent dark fruit and floral pastille flavors complicated by spicecake and cracked pepper. Finishes with smooth, even tannins and outstanding persistence, leaving behind notes of licorice, floral pastilles and smoky minerals.

The 2010 Torre Muga, was one of the first new-wave Riojas and it has already demonstrated that it ages in a classical style (first vintage was 1991), but winemaking has gained much in precision since that first vintage, the different varieties are picked and fermented separately and you can feel a much more compact and balanced wine in recent vintages, with more subtle and better integrated oak. It is sourced from the oldest family vineyards blending 70% Tempranillo, 20% Graciano and 10% Mazuelo, picked and fermented separately in 2,000- and 8,000-liter oak vats, blended after malolactic and aged in new French oak barrels for 16 months. It’s quite dark, opaque and surprisingly aromatic (because I expected it to be closed and hard as nails) with notes of flowers, ripe fruit and some lactic, smoky and spicy tones from the French barrels. It’s a structured wine, with slightly dusty tannins, pungent and clean acidity, great balance, combining power and elegance. 40,000 bottles produced. It’s still a baby that will require a couple of years to show its true face and will age into a beautiful Rioja. Drink 2016-2030. I think the Muga family wines have been going from strength to strength and they are offering superbly-crafted wines from their cellars in the Barrio de la Estacion in Haro. I’ve seen a big change in Prado Enea starting with the 2004 vintage. As it happens, some of their wines are selling faster than they are produced (as they are not necessarily offered in every vintage) and they had no Prado Enea to show. The next vintage will be 2006, but there will be none in 2007 or 2008 and they need to fill the gap until the 2009 is released. The vintage of Torre Muga and Aro on the market is already 2010. There’s no stainless steel whatsoever at Muga, they have kept true to their beliefs, and all their wines are fermented in oak vats of different sizes. The winery has its own cooperage to mend these old vats and build their own barrels. I spoke to winemaker Jorge Muga during the harvest and he told me 2013 is a very difficult year, the most difficult he remembers ever. Mind you, he’s a young guy. Imported by Jorge Ordonez, Fine Estates from Spain, Dedham, MA; tel. (781) 461-5767