Muga Rioja Reserva Seleccion Especial 2018

14 reviews for Muga Rioja Reserva Seleccion Especial 2018

1. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Gary Albright – August 5, 2022

   Un peu sucré, sur la venaison et cuire. Encore jeune

2. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Tina Powell – November 5, 2022

   Good structure, pure fruit, vibrant, well balanced. Good length. 91-93

3. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Todd Holtz – November 12, 2022

   According to TWA Luis Gutierrez ( I really like his writing and passion) – 18 was a very cool year and no Gran Reserva wines were made, thus all the juice went into this wine. I was intrigued. Decanted 1 hr – Classy French Oak hits initially, which one would expect given the youth. Once things settled in, indeed we have a very fine and elegant Rioja to enjoy; one where the fruit (dark blackberries) very much take a back seat to the wines structure. So don’t even think about drinking this without appropriate vittles. While medium bodied, the tannins are very much center stage currently, as is the wines acidity which cleanses neatly on the back half. This really needs time and I think there is just enough material to make this a pretty dang good bottle in 3 got 6 years, perhaps longer. It will certainly age for a decade plus. Positive experience here.

4. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Amy Forbes – December 18, 2022

   It’s dark ruby colored, medium legs and notes of oak and some blackberry hit you right away. A medium bodied wine with a slightly coarse texture, it went down well with brie and other creamy cheeses. Was slightly tannic and with medium acidity, and leaves a fairly distinctive complex taste. This is a young wine and will have good potential after a few years of ageing.

5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Willie Garcia – January 6, 2023

   We enjoyed it after leaving the bottle open for a week. It opened up nicely and the fruit brightened. Overall, a medium bodied wine which fruit forward and good acidity to balance it out. On mid-palate you feel tannings to begin with followed by a hit of spice and sweetness to follow. A very enjoyable wine to drink by itself or pair with meat heavy and sauce based entrées.

6. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Juana Talbert – March 14, 2023

   A semi-Reserva from a very cool year. Modern Rioja style. Delicious after one hour decanting. Enjoy now and for the next 5 years

7. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Rachel Joyce – March 22, 2023

   Theres black cherries and tobacco on the nose. Palate with cassis and spices in a medium bodied package, thats fresh, vibrant and pure, with nice sweetness. Great quality of the fruit. A pretty long finish with nice tannins. This is young, but opens up after an hour. Touch of class here.

8. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Deborah Ouellette – April 8, 2023

   Rioja (K&L Wine Merchant – San Francisco): N: Big black grapes, the fruit notes are subtle, almost like the berries were too plump and overgrown from receiving too much rain. Soft cherries and some rose aromatics.P: Juicy dark cherries with used oak, but in a way that seems to suppress the fruits a little bit. Shiny river minerals and earth.

9. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   WS – May 24, 2023

   A medium- to full-bodied red, well-knit and harmonious, showing a fine, tense frame of chalky tannins fleshed out by crushed black raspberry, balsamico, dried fig and deep notes of ground coffee, iron and smoke. Long and lively on the herbal, spiced finish. Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano.

10. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    WE – May 24, 2023

    Deep ruby in the glass, this wine offers a bouquet of black cherry, blackberry and licorice. Flavors of black currant, pomegranate, anisette, dark chocolate and black truffle are supported by plush tannins that drift into a cherry-tobacco finish.

11. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    WA – May 24, 2023

    2018 was a cooler vintage, with a fairly long maturation, which made the wines somewhat fresher and less alcoholic, as showcased by the 2018 Selección Especial, a classical blend of the four red varieties from Rioja, Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano with contained ripeness (14.05% alcohol) and good freshness. It fermented in oak casks with indigenous yeasts and matured in French oak barrels, 40% of them new, for 26 months. They were not very happy with the vintage and had to sort and discard, but as they didn’t produce Prado Enea, Torre Muga or Haro, those grapes went into this wine. They are reluctant about 2018, but I think it was a vintage capable of the best and the worst, and this 2018 is floral, expressive and elegant. It’s medium to full- bodied, with very fine, chalky tannins, combining power and elegance. Amazing! 

12. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    JD – May 24, 2023

    The 2018 Muga Selección Especial is 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, and the rest Graciano y Mazuelo. It shows the fresher style of the vintage yet has good richness in its cassis and black raspberry fruit profile as well as notes of tobacco leaf, violets, and spicy oak. Straight-up gorgeous on the palate, it shines for its purity, has ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. I’m a fan.

13. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    JS – May 24, 2023

    Fresh and dried cherries, oyster shells, spice box and dried herbs on the nose. Flint stone, too. Structured, mineral and very fresh with tight and fine-grained tannins and a medium body. Vibrant and fragrant. Lightly austere at the end. Smaller production and greater selection this year – only Rioja Reserva and Seleccion Especial made.

14. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    TA – May 24, 2023

    Always a comparative bargain in the Muga range, this Selección Especial benefited from the fact that Torre Muga, Prado Enea and Aro were not produced in 2018. Combining Tempranillo with 15% Garnacha and 5% each of Mazuelo and Graciano, most of it from the area around Haro, this is sweet, succulent, refreshing and comparatively forward, with scented French oak and layers of spicy dark berry fruit.