Bodegas Muga is one of the most traditionally-minded and technically accomplished producers in Rioja, founded in Haro in 1932 by Isaac Muga and Aurora Caño. The winery is unique in Spanish wine for employing its own master cooper and maintaining the capacity to make all its own oak vats and barrels, a commitment to tradition that is reflected directly in the quality and distinctiveness of wines at every level of the range. Prado Enea is the estate’s flagship Gran Reserva, produced only in exceptional vintages from the oldest and most carefully selected plots in the western Rioja Alta, adjacent to the Sierra Obarenes mountains in the villages of Sajazarra, Cellorigo and Fonzaleche.

The 2016 vintage in Rioja is widely regarded by the estate and by independent commentators as one of the finest in decades, combining excellent natural acidity and freshness with the concentration and structural completeness needed for long ageing. The Prado Enea is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano from south-facing plots at 550 metres elevation, fermented in oak vats without yeast addition or temperature control, macerated for 16 days, and matured for 36 months in a combination of French and American oak before a further three years of bottle ageing in the Muga cellars. It was bottled in January 2020. 127,808 bottles were produced.

The 2016 Prado Enea Gran Reserva has attracted outstanding scores across multiple approved publications: Wine Advocate (Luis Gutiérrez) awarded 97+, James Suckling 97, Vinous 96 and Wine Enthusiast 97 with a Cellar Selection designation, describing the wine as a “textbook traditional Rioja in the making” with “terrific balance” and all components “in the right proportion to age superbly in bottle.” The combination of vintage quality, production discipline and extended cellaring at the estate ensures that this release offers serious long-term ageing potential alongside its current drinking appeal.

Deep ruby with complex aromas of dark cherry, blackberry, dried herbs, clove, cinnamon, vanilla and a distinctive Rioja earthiness of extraordinary depth. Full-bodied on the palate with fine-boned, silky tannins, outstanding natural acidity and a very long, precise finish of impressive complexity. At its peak from 2024 through 2040.

The expressive, complex and nuanced 2016 Prado Enea Gran Reserva is a textbook traditional Rioja in the making. Full-bodied but fine-boned with terrific balance, all components in the right proportion to age superbly in bottle. 127,808 bottles produced. Bottled January 2020. Drink 2024-2040.  — Wine Advocate