August 5, 2023 - The first vintage of a modern spin-off project but at age 30 it's anything but. Texturally it's on the fleshier side, with some plummy fruit, but otherwise it's pretty classic. Leathery, spicy, old wood, dense & savory, a marvel.
October 23, 2019 - Fully mature, fruit is dried and plummy while the earthy, leathery elements are strong. A little old Rioja spicecake, some mushroomy wood, and a bit of roasting coffee. Very good.
December 15, 2018 - Opened, left 90 min, decanted, then left 20 min before tasting.
Cork was perfectly intact - tight, even. Wine is a deep crimson with a clear/brick rim.
Surprisingly youthful nose for a 27 year old wine. Cherry and red berry core. Overlaid with leather, touch of dried mushrooms, spices. Cedar bark. Black pepper. Anise.
On palate - wine is sound. Medium acid, low alcohol, softened tannins. Peppercorns, currant, blueberries really come out on the palate. Soft, with a long, clean finish. Goes a touch sideways at the end with a sort of bitter conclusion, but otherwise quite beautiful.
Mature movie star, still handsome.
November 17, 2017 - Dark fruit (blueberry, cherry), leather, slight tobacco?, nice spice. Good acidity. Lingering finish.
March 6, 2016 - Perfectly mature classic Rioja. Pale garnet with plenty of bricking. Nose of dusty cherry, meat, orange peel, spices and wood. Palate was lean and just bordering on raisin. More classic notes of tart berry, orange, clove, lean berries and red prune. Classic with a touch of modernity.
December 23, 2009 - Very consistent with prior bottles. Singing mature nose is complex and full of earth tones of mushroom and leather. Palate is medium bodied with red fruit and more earth notes. Very nice balance of medium-rich fruit and acidity. Medium-long finish.
July 26, 2009 - Quite mature with dusty old-library sort of scents framing the cedar, cinnamon and red cherry aromas. Lean, but with good persistence, this expands from the mid-palate offering a long and vivid red cherry and mint stem filled finish.
February 2, 2008 - Deep dark ruby with a funk-filled, earthy nose. Loads of mushroom, leather and barnyard are interwoven with dark fruits. Palate has coffee, chocolate and dark fruits with less of the funk. Good length and structure. Nicely done and holing on quite well.
August 2, 2007 - Spanish dinner at Think Cafe (Chicago, IL): Medium ruby in color. Elegant with layers of seductive old world aromas. Licorice, flowers, dark cassis, cedar, leather, mushrooms and light toast notes waft from the glass. The medium bodied palate is well proportioned. Soft, mature fruits glide across the palate. Graceful finish. Not what one would expect from a Torre Muga! 12.5% alcohol.
February 14, 2004 - Ruby red, with some fading around the rim. Pleasant aromas of wild fruits, leather, peat, and some bitter chocolate. Taking a sip reveals a full body, highly concentrated wine. No waiting around for the flavors to kick in, as you get attacked right at the start with ripe grapes, wild fruits, cinnamon and some wild fruits. Incredibly “tweaked” balance, with soft tannins, expressive fantastic acidity, and tasty smoky oak. Every sip is a mouthful loaded with flavors, well structured and served elegantly. Nice long finish with a big hefty aftertaste, loaded with smoky ripe grapes. Though drinking very nicely now, I personally think this wine has many more years left in it, based on its lively fruitiness and solid balance.