Wine Advisor
Muga, Torre Muga Rioja 2011
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
The Mugas are happy with the 2011 harvest. The 2011 Torre Muga is a dark-colored, almost opaque, ripe and concentrated effort. (It contains the Tempranillo that would normally be part of the Aro, and was not produced because they didn't get the Graciano they needed.) They are selling this very young (but still, it will not be released until around September 2015). It is quite heady with aromas of ripe plums, spices, lead pencil, ink and well-integrated oak. The palate is full-bodied, round and lush with plenty of dense and concentrated tannins that feel very young. If you have in mind the Torre Muga from the beginning, this has a lot less oak and is less extracted; it has much better balance. As usual, it's a blend of Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo and others, from a very cold zone close to the Oja-Tirón rivers, which might explain why this wine is so fresh in such warm vintage. There will be no Torre Muga in 2012 or 2013, and possibly very little 2014. So stock up on this if you want a wine like it, because it will keep and develop well in bottle. 32,000 bottles produced.
About the Producer
Bodegas Muga is a family business founded by Isaac Muga and Aurora Caño in 1932, which is located in the historic Barrio de La Estación (Station Quarter) of Haro. With an area of around 25,000 square metres, it is home to both the most traditional winemaking methods and the latest cutting-edge techniques. Besides, they are the only cellar in Spain with a master cooper and three in-house barrel-makers. In Muga, they always use the finest materials and are open to new techniques that provide greater quality without losing authenticity. To produce each of our wines, they continue opting for traditional procedures. Through the natural process of fining, they eliminate the suspended particles that appear in the wine. Also, they carry out the decanting by the traditional method of gravity. Vine Varieties La Rioja is one of the few regions in the world where wine is made using only native vine varieties. Vine Varieties: Tempranillo, Garnacha (Grenache), Mazuelo (Carignan), Graciano, Viura (Macabeo), Malvasía
