2011 Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva

Community Tasting Note

wrote:

86 Points

Monday, March 28, 2016 - More modern in style than any previous Muga bottling for this offering I can recall. A wave of sadness overtook me as my wife described this wine as 'kinda like a cali cab!' We both agreed that this year's bottling seems to be a bigger departure from the classic style than we've seen from Muga. Fruit forward, color appears overly extracted purple, alcohol brings some heat that might fade with age, light tannins. Overall, this wine is still quite good with typical rioja fruit but has that bulky sloppy crudeness of new world 'bold reds' that I seldom see with rioja tempranillos. In short, thicker, heavier and punchier than in previous vintages.
We compared this to a 2003 vintage, which wasn't a special year. The two wines didn't even taste like they came from the same producer they were so different. The '03 had that light, acid driven elegance around an overripe cherry core that is typical of a classic rioja. Much better nose and much longer finish.

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  • Comment posted by macaujames:

    5/20/2016 11:15:00 PM - I love Rioja and like you found this wine overblown, harsh and international. Is this style only to gain high points from critics?

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