The history of Bodegas Muga begins in 1932, when the estate was created by Isaac Muga Martínez and his wife, Auro Caño, both descendants of local winemaking families. The pair established themselves in the centre of Haro, a town at the west end of the Rioja Alta region. Isaac always intended to move nearer the railway station, some considerable distance outside of the town, positioning himself alongside the many venerable bodegas that are located there, such as La Rioja Alta and the Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE to you and me), but he never survived to see the move completed. He died in 1969, leaving the estate to his three children who oversaw Isaac''s envisaged relocation, which included the construction of a new bodegas topped off with a tower. The cellars include not only the usual fermentation and ageing rooms, but also a coopery, providing the family with a constant supply of oak barrels, which are central to the Muga style.
The Muga vineyards are located in the folds of the Obarenes mountains, on a series of terraced plots. The soils are mainly clay and calcareous, and are obviously predominantly planted with Tempranillo with Garnacha and Mazuelo for the reds, Malvasia and Viura for the white wines. Once harvested, the wines see a very traditional fermentation, with exclusive use of oak vessels, pumping over, and temperatures allowed to rise above 30ºC. The white wines are fermented in new oak barrels, which are then used for ageing the reds in subsequent vintages, before being retired typically at about ten years of age. In order to meet this demand, the in-house coopery must turn out 1500 barrels per annum, using predominantly French and American wood, although there has been some experimentation with other sources over the years. The wines are racked every four months and fined with egg white, until they are cellared for the legally defined period of time according to whether the wine is of reserva or gran reserva status.
The Muga portfolio opens with a white and a rosé, the former is 90% Viura, 10% Malvasia, with rejection usually of 50% of the harvest both on a sorting table and subsequently on tasting in the cellars. It is barrel fermented in French oak as described above, and then rests on its lees for at least three months. The rosé is 60% Garnacha, 30% Viura and 10% Tempranillo, the fermenting juice macerating for twelve hours in small 1000 litre wooden vats where the wine is stored before bottling at two months of age.
It is the red wines which really excite, however, and these start with the Reserva, 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha with 10% Mazuelo and Graciano, which ages for six months in large traditional vats, before 24 months in small oak barrels, and a further year in bottle before release. This meets the release requirements for a reserva (these are released in their fourth year), but far exceeds the minimum period of oak ageing which would be just twelve months. The Reserva Selección Especial has the same (although presumably superior quality) blend, but sees 30 months in barrels after the initial six in cask. The Prado Enea Gran Reserva, 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano sees six months in vat, then 36 months in small barrel, before the same period in bottle prior to release. Although the two reservas can be very good wines, it is the Prado Enea that really shines in my opinion. There is a finesse and balance here that pleases, framed with a structure and sufficient substance to age beautifully. It is a unification of quality and the traditional style that I really enjoy. Nevertheless some may prefer Torre Muga, referencing the tower at the Muga bodega, and introduced in 1991. Although a fairly traditional blend of 75% Tempranillo with 15% Mazuelo and 10% Graciano I have always though the wine to have a more modern, rather international feel; perhaps the 18 months in new French oak after the initial six in vat contributes to this impression. Quality is very good, although quite distinct from the Prado Enea, and from traditional Rioja as a whole.
Finally, the portfolio is capped by the recently introduced Aro Muga. This prestige bottling, 70% Tempranillo and 30% Graciano, is made from sixty year old vines, selected on a plant by plant basis. The wine is fermented in small oak casks, before transfer to new French Tronçais oak for 18 months. This is a statement wine for Muga, retailing at about three times the cost of Torre Muga, or thereabouts. I haven''t yet had the chance to taste this wine, although I feel it is likely to be another step further from the old style with which Rioja made its name. (17/8/06)
Contact details:
Address: Barrio de la Estación, 26200 Haro, La Rioja
Telephone: +34 941 311 825
Fax: +34 941 312 867
Internet: www.bodegasmuga.com
