October 4, 2024
Muga Prado Enea 2016 Release
A unanimous 97 points from three top wine critics
With autumn feeling like it's approaching faster than usual, it feels like the perfect time to start uncorking some Rioja Gran Reservas, especially if it's Muga...!
Muga is one of the few traditional Rioja estates that has remained true to the region’s historic winemaking methods. Alongside renowned producers like López de Heredia and La Rioja Alta, Muga continues to use traditional regional grape varietals and American oak barrels for extended ageing, maintaining the rich heritage of Rioja. Their Prado Enea Gran Reserva is a flagship wine that epitomises this commitment to tradition.
The Prado Enea Gran Reserva 2016 is made from a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Mazuelo, harvested from Muga’s coolest, high-altitude vineyards. These cooler sites contribute to the wine’s elegance and ageing potential. After a long 6+ years of ageing, including time in oak from Muga’s own cooperage, this wine is packed with complex layers of dark fruit, toasted spice, and earthy notes, reflecting the influence of American oak.
Praised for its exceptional depth and finesse, the 2016 vintage offers immense power, yet remains balanced by a silky elegance, making it a true standout among great Riojas. Now perfectly poised for drinking, this wine promises even greater complexity with further time in the bottle.
It’s rare to come across this level of quality and character at such a price, especially from a producer of this calibre. If you’re interested in securing a case or two, don’t hesitate to get in contact.
Muga Rioja Prado Enea Gran Reserva 2016
97 Points | Wine Advocate
The expressive, complex and nuanced 2016 Prado Enea Gran Reserva is a textbook traditional Rioja in the making. 2016 was a very elegant year, with aging potential, volume and very good acidity and freshness. It's full-bodied but fine-boned, has 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.6 and 5.25 grams per liter acidity. It has terrific balance, with all the components in the right proportion to age superbly in bottle. They have also been working on the selection of wood used. This wine matured in French and American oak barrels for three years, and the oak is super integrated. 127,808 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2020. It was an exceptional year with volume and quality.
97 Points | Jeb Dunnuck
Spiced red and black fruits, new saddle leather, smoky tobacco, and lead pencil are just some of the nuances in the 2016 Prado Enea Gran Reserva, a pure, medium to full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, beautifully textured Rioja from this team. With beautiful yet building tannins, a pure, focused style, and awesome length on the finish, it's a brilliant wine with a solid two decades of prime drinking ahead of it.
97 Points | Wine Enthusiast
Deep ruby in color, this wine has a nose of cocoa powder, coffee bean, lavender and cherry. It is smooth at first sip, with tannins that slowly build in volume and then drift away to reveal black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, mint and orange-zest flavors. The brilliant finish is marked with a floral note. Drink through 2036.