We are looking at one of the most sold Crianzas from Rioja, vintage after vintage, a true 'bestseller' of unquestionable quality. It is produced by Muga, a prestigious family winery located in the Barrio de la Estación in Haro. Muga Crianza 2022 perfectly represents the essence of the winery. After an extensive aging process equivalent to that of a Reserva (22 months in barrels), it offers great aromatic intensity with a pronounced fruity character. The aging is very well integrated, enhancing freshness and complexity. On the palate, it is balanced, with firm yet silky tannins, good structure, and a long finish.
Consumption features
Consumption time
General features
Type of wine
Region
Type of barrel
90% French oak and 10% American oak
Type of bottle
Bordeaux Bottle
Barrel aging time
22 months
Capacity (cl)
75
Alcohol content (% vol.)
14.5
General Information
Muga Crianza 2022 comes from a family-owned winery that has been running the business for almost one hundred years: Muga. It is one of the most established wineries in Rioja, located in the famous Barrio de la Estación in Haro, the heart of this designation. Its Crianza is made from vineyards located around Haro, protected by the Montes Obarenes and the Sierra de Cantabria.
The varietal blend is dominated by tempranillo, complemented by three other traditional Rioja varieties: garnacha tinta, mazuelo, and graciano. The harvest was carried out manually, and fermentation took place in oak vats. The wine aged for 22 months in barrels made in the winery's own cooperage, using 90% French oak and 10% American oak, and was clarified with fresh egg whites in a completely artisanal process. Once bottled, it remained for a minimum of 9 months refining in the winery before being released to the market.
Muga is one of the few Spanish wineries that has its own cooperage. Having one of the few active coopers in the country demonstrates the importance this Rioja winery places on the wood that imparts aging to its wines. Thus, the woods are selected from different forests at the source: France, the United States, or Central Europe, and it is in Haro where the barrels are assembled in an artisanal process. Specifically, for this Crianza, 80% French oak barrels and the remaining 20% American or Central European oak barrels were used. These are new barrels and barrels of various uses, with a maximum of six years.
The red wine Muga Crianza 2022 (D.O.Ca. Rioja) is ideal to pair with meat dishes, such as beef ribeye, as well as with cured meats and all kinds of stews.
Tasting notes
The 2022 vintage, characterized by warmth and early ripening, offers us a wine with great aromatic intensity. A wine with a pronounced fruity character, clean aromas, and delicate hints of undergrowth. The aging is very well integrated, enhancing its freshness and complexity.
On the palate, it is balanced, with firm yet silky tannins, good structure, and a long finish. It stands out for its perfectly integrated acidity and smooth tannins.
The winery
Bodegas Muga is one of the most reliable and recognizable names in Rioja, founded in 1932 by the family that gives it its name: the Muga family, now led by the third generation. Its history began in a modest winery located on a central street in Haro, but in 1970, it inaugurated new facilities in the famous Barrio de la Estación in the same town. Muga is characterized by its commitment to traditional winemaking: gravity racking, egg white fining, and all red wines are made, fermented, and aged in oak (there is no stainless steel in the winery). It is also one of the few Spanish wineries with its own cooperage. However, in the vineyard, it embraces modern technology, monitoring the plants.
It is also distinguished by its mastery of aging, especially long aging, as its red wines exceed the aging times stipulated by the Regulatory Council of the D.O.Ca. Rioja. Its portfolio is divided into two lines: a more classic line with the Muga and Prado Enea range, and a more modern one with Torre Muga and the ‘top’ Aro. These are joined by the new Flor de Muga label, available in white and rosé versions. All of these wines have elegance in their DNA, with outstanding acceptance.
It boasts exceptional vineyards of tempranillo, garnacha, graciano, and mazuelo, located in the valleys of the Oja and Tirón rivers. In these lands, soil and climate come together to offer exceptional conditions for the vine, something the Muga family takes full advantage of to craft their renowned wines.