Muga - Rioja Selección Especial 2021

Muga - Rioja Selección Especial  is only produced in top years and in varying quantities depending on the conditions of each vintage. The wine is the result of a strict selection of the family's oldest plots planted on hillsides and higher altitude sites that have poorer soils. These conditions result in lower yields and higher quality fruit. In the cellar, vinification is similar to flagship Reserva bottling, but Selección Especial sees a higher quality oak treatment, longer ageing, and a final barrel selection.

This wine comes from estate vineyards (65%) and vineyards leased on long term contracts, with viticulture controlled by the winery, in the foothills of the Montes Obarenes and the Sierra Cantabria, primarily in the northwestern villages of Rioja Alta. The blend is 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 7% Mazuelo, 3% Graciano.

Traditional Rioja viticulture that is sustainable and organic, but not certified. A blend of goblet trained and vineyards planted on high density trellises of Rioja's most classic varieties. The vineyards are not irrigated and are farmed without the use of harmful chemically synthesized fungicides, pesticides or herbicides.

The aging process begins with six months in new French barrique, followed by two full years in older French and American (70/30) oak barriques. These barrels are aged and coopered on Muga's premises. Muga was the first winery in Spain to have an in-house cooperage. The wines are racked throughout the ageing process and fined with fresh egg whites (cracked by hand) before bottling. The wine is aged for a minimum of 18 months in bottle before release.

The 2021 vintage was rated as Very Good. With a balanced, fresh profile, it was marked by a long, gradual growing cycle which, especially in the Rioja Alta sub zone, favoured complete ripening with excellent natural acidity. It has a deep robe and an intense black-cherry colour with garnet-red glints. On the nose it stands out for its great intensity, with a predominance of notes of oak and spices, cloves and cocoa, accompanied by ripe fruit and underlying balsamic herbs coming through. It proves round and smooth on the palate, with a silky, very well-balanced texture. Reminders of the ripe fruit reappear, with polished tannins and perfectly integrated acidity which give the wine harmony and length. The finish is long, elegant and persistent, leaving a typically spicy, fruity reminder of the 2021 vintage.

"The 2021 Selección Especial, is always their most gastronomical red, produced with a blend of the four traditional varieties from Rioja—Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano. The grapes fermented in oak vats with moderate extraction, and the wine matured in French oak barrels built by their coopers for 26 months, with racking every eight to nine months. Like many others, they are in love with the wines from 2021, a year that was not easy but produced vibrant wines with lots of freshness and a combination of power and elegance. This wine has evolved over the years, going more toward a selection of vineyards rather than a selection of barrels, which is how it started. It combines classical and more modern characteristics in a fantastic vintage that is evolving very nicely in bottle; they called it a traditional Rioja with a bit of rock and roll! It comes in at 14.5% alcohol, with a pH of 3.56 and 5.91 grams of acidity and fine-grained tannins. It's very tasty, savory and almost salty. 290,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2024 after being fined with egg whites." - 95 Points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Producer: Muga 

Country: Spain

Region: La Rioja

Varietal: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo

Appellation: Rioja

Vintage: 2021

Size: 750ml