The Muga Selección Especial is one of our most popular Riojas every year, and the 2020 vintage continues the long streak of exemplary releases. Muga is, of course, one of Rioja's most esteemed, family-run wineries, founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga and Aurora Caño in the historic Barrio de La Estación of Haro. Muga’s philosophy combines longstanding tradition with modern innovation, maintaining a unique identity within the region. Notably, Muga is one of the only wineries in Spain to have its own cooperage, allowing them to control the quality of their oak barrels from forest to cellar. The 2020 Selección Especial is a blend of the traditional Rioja varieties, primarily Tempranillo, with smaller amounts of Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano. The grapes are sourced from selected parcels in Rioja Alta and fermented with indigenous yeasts in large oak vats. The wine then matures for around six months in 100% new French oak barrels, followed by another 24 months in older French and American oak barrels made in the winery's own cooperage. Finally, the wine is traditionally fined with fresh egg whites before spending a further 18 months in bottle prior to release. The 2020 vintage, a warm year, has helped to produce a bold, rich and powerful style of Selección Especial – full-bodied and concentrated but displaying signature elegance and finesse. On the nose, ripe blackberry and cassis mingle together, layered with notes of spice, cedar, vanilla, and tobacco. The feel of this wine is plush, but highly structured at the same time. This is a modern and classy style of Rioja that is crying out for a steak or roast — it’s the perfect pairing for a feast on a cold night!

Composed of Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, and Mazuelo grown on clay-limestone terraces along the slopes of Montes Obarenes and the Sierra Cantabria, the 2020 Bodegas Muga “Selección Especial” Reserva Rioja undergoes indigenous-yeast fermentation in oak vats before spending 26 months in French oak barrels custom-made in Muga’s own cooperage. After an additional 18 months of bottle aging, it delivers defined notes of crème de cassis, blackberry coulis, holiday baking spices, black tea, and whole-leaf tobacco lifted by hints of bergamot and dried lemon balm. Plush and velvety, it’s a deeply satisfying mouthful that's just as suited to fireside sipping as it is to a juicy steak. A tweed jacket and waistcoat are entirely optional.