Muga 2022 Rioja Reserva

Critical Acclaim

93+pts Parker's Wine Advocate

93pts Tim Atkin

93pts James Suckling

92pts Wine Spectator

The Muga 2022 Rioja Reserva has earned exceptional critical acclaim across major wine publications, cementing its reputation as a consistently high-performing classic. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awarded the vintage 93+ points. James Suckling gave it 93 points, highlighting its succulent, medium-to-full-bodied structure, polished tannins, and enticing notes of dark fruit, chocolate, and pinecone according to the tasting notes verified on Wine.com. Echoing this enthusiasm, Tim Atkin rated the wine at 93 points, while Wine Spectator bestowed 92 points, describing it as a sleek, cellaring-ready red packed with black cherry, cured tobacco, espresso, and chalky tannins.

Tasting Notes

The Muga 2022 Rioja Reserva is a serious, masterfully structured Spanish red wine crafted from a traditional Rioja blend dominated by Tempranillo, alongside roughly 20% Garnacha and small percentages of Mazuelo and Graciano. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for 24 months in a mix of 80% French and 20% American oak barrels—handcrafted entirely in Muga’s own in-house cooperage—this hot, early-ripening vintage delivers immense aromatic intensity and full-bodied concentration. On the nose, it opens with a complex, expressive bouquet of black cherry, wild blackberries, and dark plum, beautifully layered with secondary oak notes of cedar, sandalwood, anise, and a distinct touch of cured tobacco and smoked paprika. The palate is dry, succulent, and impeccably balanced, counterbalancing its rich core of dark fruit and cocoa powder with a lively, perfectly integrated acidity and refined, chalky, fine-grained tannins. It concludes with an elegant, lingering finish marked by a clean mineral core and subtle balsamic hints.

With its savory edge, bright acidity, and structured grip, this Reserva is an exemplary food wine designed to cut through rich fats and complement slow-cooked proteins. It serves as an exceptional companion to grilled or roasted red meats, showing brilliantly next to a thick ribeye steak, T-bone steak, or grilled lamb chops. The wine's integrated wood spices, dried herbs, and paprika accents also make it a natural match for cured charcuterie boards featuring jamón Ibérico and aged chorizo, as well as hearty, slow-simmered beef or game casseroles and stews.

750ml