The 2016 Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva is one of Rioja's most iconic wines, produced by Bodegas Muga, a family-owned estate founded in 1932 in Haro's historic Barrio de la Estación. Widely regarded as one of Spain's benchmark Gran Reservas, Prado Enea represents the traditional pinnacle of Rioja winemaking, combining meticulous vineyard selection, extended ageing and exceptional longevity.

Prado Enea is produced only in vintages deemed suitable for long ageing and is sourced from high-altitude vineyards in the northwestern reaches of Rioja Alta. These sites benefit from cooler conditions and lower yields, allowing the grapes to develop concentration while preserving freshness and balance. Following fermentation, the wine undergoes extended maturation in oak barrels and bottle before release, a hallmark of the Gran Reserva category and a key contributor to its complexity.

The highly acclaimed 2016 vintage produced wines of remarkable balance, structure and ageing potential. The wine opens with aromas of black cherry, plum and blackberry, layered with notes of cedar, cigar box, dried flowers, leather, vanilla and sweet spice. On the palate, it is full-bodied yet remarkably refined, with vibrant acidity supporting a core of ripe dark fruit. Fine-grained tannins provide structure, while years of ageing contribute layers of savoury complexity. The finish is long, elegant and persistent, revealing notes of tobacco, spice and earth.

Prado Enea Gran Reserva 2016 has a black-cherry colour with medium depth. On the nose we find an elegant collection of forest fruit (blackberries) with spices like cloves and cinnamon. It has a silky-smooth attack with medium body and a very long, pleasant passage through the mouth. We find velvety tannins in perfect harmony with its fresh and well-integrated acidity. You can also find creamy and vanilla notes mingling with fresh fruit.

"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. - Jeb Dunnuck

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  - Wine Advocate