Bodegas Muga Rioja Gran Reserva Prado Enea 2010 750ml

The wonderfully silky texture with an added juiciness is what makes this wine so very special. The flawless and seamless nature to the wine is so impressive that it takes you breath away. Plenty of beautiful fruit but what mouthfeel. Drink now and forever. (Suckling)

I was really looking forward to the 2010 Prado Enea Gran Reserva, as I've seen a very good improvement in this cuvée in the last few vintages, and 2010 is one of the more-balanced vintages of recent times. This is the most classical among the wines in the portfolio, the one with the longer élevage, a little bit like the wines from yesteryear but with today's knowledge about vineyards and vinification/élevage. This has settled to a blend of approximately 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and the remaining 10% between Mazuelo and Graciano, from the cooler, higher-altitude vineyards, which means they only bottle it every two or three years. In recent years, 2007 and 2008 were not bottled. It ferments in small oak vats built by their own tonneliers, and they like to delay malolactic until the spring by opening the windows so the cold from outside comes into the winery. For the aging, each variety goes into separate barrels racked from newer to older barrels to complete some 36 months or three years. It has very healthy and balanced parameters, and that's what the wine feels like. It's still young. It's never a dark wine, more of a ruby or bright color, and it has a nose of youth, subtle and elegant. But the quality shows in the unbelievable elegance and harmony on the palate, where the tannins are very fine, the flavors are subtle but deep and the length is just phenomenal. This is only medium-bodied, with perfect ripeness and integrated acidity. This should have a very long life in bottle, especially as I had the chance to check the evolution of the 2004 next to this. 90,000 bottles were produced from 2010.

The Gran Reserva Prado Enea is an icon of Rioja, sourced from vineyards planted in three towns of northern Rioja Alta—Sajazarra, Cellorigo, and Fonzaleche—where old vineyards on white soils abound. The 2010, a mature wine, is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano aged for 36 months in barrel. It showcases herb and sour cherry notes, complemented by dried flowers, plums and a subtle layer of cigar box. Dry, silky and juicy, delicate tannins provide support and texture to a nimble, flavorful flow. It skillfully combines both power and delicacy and still has plenty of time to develop its full potential.

The 2010 Prado Enea Gran Reserva checks in as 80% Tempranillo and the balance an even split of Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano, all of which was destemmed and aged 36 months in oak and an additional 36 months in bottle. It’s a rocking, feral, wild bottle of wine that offers tons of smoky black fruits, graphite, crushed rock, and coffee bean-like aromas and flavors. Deep, rich, full-bodied, backward, and closed on the palate, it has a great mid-palate, terrific purity of fruit, and a great finish. Forget bottles for 4-5 years.

A silky texture carries berry, cherry, spice and mineral flavors in this generous red. Orange peel acidity and light, firm tannins keep this focused. Maturing notes of tobacco and tea add depth. Harmonious and graceful. Drink now through 2024. 7,500 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.