Bodegas Muga Seleccion Especial 2010

Professional Ratings

• 96 James Suckling
  A round and silky red with deep and rich fruit and floral aromas. Wet earth too. Full-bodied, racy and beautiful. True Rioja. This comes from older vines of tempranillo with an average age of 20 years or more. Maceration is a little longer. Six months in new French oak and then 24 months in old French and American oak barrels. One and a half years in bottle.
• 96 Decanter
  Only made in very good years, such as 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010, this displays the more modern face of Muga, with 90% French oak and dense, powerful fruit flavours of black fig and plum, with plenty of smoky vanilla sweetness and the acidity and structure to age.
• 94 Wine Enthusiast
  Tight as a drum on the nose, this rambunctious Rioja is throbbing with blackberry, plum and floral aromas. Intense and staunch on the palate, with plum, raspberry, cherry, herb and chocolate flavors, this runs long on the finish, with power and acidity to spare. Hold until 2017, then drink through 2035.
• 93 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  The 2010 Reserva Selección Especial is always the most food-oriented of their reds, a blend similar to the one found in the Reserva, 65% Tempranillo with some 20% Garnacha, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, but here the grapes are sourced from older vineyards in higher-altitude terraces where there are poorer soils and the grapes have an extra degree of freshness. The wine is also aged for longer in barrel and it's slightly marked by toast aromas, but the bright fruit underneath is quite pure, and comes through very recognizable as Rioja. A second bottle showed fresher (the cork on the first one was a bit dry), even brighter and more transparent fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins that would benefit from some more time in bottle and have a long life ahead. There is very good acidity and fine balance. It's a wine that is perfect for the table. A great Selección Especial. 200,000 bottles produced. 93+
• 93 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
  So what is it with these fancy Riojas? Rich, rustic and resolute. For so long, many of these wines have pushed the limit on American oak aging. Now, I have been a Muga fan for at least three decades. Never boring and often pretty incredible, I have to admit I struggled with the 2010 Selección Especial a bit. Now all I can think of is pairing this wine with a slow-roasted leg of lamb accented with rosemary and a few other savory herbs. Medium to quite deep in color; exotic in the aroma, red and black fruit, sweet earth and dust, oh and some oak too, pretty lavish; medium bodied, generous on the palate, almost layered; rich and long with bright ripe fruit flavors, active and complex; long finish, juicy aftertaste. (Tasted: March 31, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
• 91 Wine Spectator
  Lively, tart acidity gives this bright red a lip-smacking character, driving the berry, licorice and citrus flavors through the racy palate. Light, firm tannins provide ballast. Distinctive and food-friendly. Drink now through 2020. 1,000 cases made.