Rioja Reserva Muga 2022 (750ML)

93+ Points, Luis Gutierrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2022 Reserva, sold as Crianza in Spain, has more tertiary notes than other people's Gran Reserva, even though it has a very classical profile. It is mostly Tempranillo with some Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano from vineyards no more than 25 kilometers from the winery in Haro, cropped from a warm and dry year. Here, what they did was wait; it rained a little, the plants unblocked and they had the patience to wait for the grapes to ripen fully. So, the grapes were in a very healthy state, and winemaker Isaac Muga likes to ferment the grapes destemmed and lightly crushed in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and then mature the wine in 90% French and 10% American oak barrels for 22 months, with racking every eight to nine months. It has good ripeness, 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.59 and 5.45 grams of acidity, and it's medium- to full bodied, concentrated but sleek and polished, with fine-grained tannins, very supple flavors and a chalky finish. It still has some toasty notes in the finish that should integrate with a little bit more time. 945,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2025. They are very happy with 2022, and they even produced Prado Enea and a tiny quantity of Aro." 03/26