Muga "Selección Especial" Rioja Reserva 2020

Jeb Dunnuck : 95 Points

(7/3/2024) The 2020 Muga Selección Especial checks in as 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, and the rest Graciano and Mazuelo that's aged six months in new French barrique, followed by two full years in older French and American (70/30) oak barriques. Rocking levels of cassis and black raspberry-like fruit as well as graphite, spicy wood, violets, and lead pencil notes all shine on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a round, layered mouthfeel, and silky tannins. It's already hard to resist.

Wine Advocate : 94 Points

(2/27/2025) Their most gastronomical red is the 2020 Selección Especial, a blend of the four traditional varieties from Rioja—Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano—fermented in oak vats. Half of the destemmed grapes were put through an optical sorting machine. The wine matured in French oak barrels, 40% of them new, for 26 months and was racked every eight to nine months. 2020 was a warm year, and the wine comes in at 14.5% alcohol, with a pH of 3.56 and 5.75 grams of acidity. Manu Muga likes 2020 very much. This is also a textbook example of this wine, a little more developed and tertiary, with generous spice and toast and a palate with more grip. Drink Date: 2026 - 2036.

James Suckling : 94 Points

(8/7/2024) Mint, blackberries, cocoa powder, graphite, black pepper and roasted dark spices. Full-bodied and juicy, with lots of tannins that are quite sinewy and fine-grained. Really long. Needs at least two more years to come around. Tempranillo, garnacha, mazuelo and graciano. Drink after 2026.