Winemaker Notes
Lovely bright gold color. On the nose the very high aromatic intensity is immediately apparent, very complex with layers of citrus fruit aromas (grapefruit, lemon), white blossom and underlying aromas of sweet spices (vanilla, cinnamon) and light toasted nuances coming through It displays good, balanced acidity on the palate with a smoothness and sensation of volume in the mouth feel. Once again we find the notes of sweet spices and lemon zest. The finish is very long, a bit mineral and fresh due to the marked acidity.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Steely aromas with a smoky, creamy edge. Minerals, roasted white almonds and green stone fruit. Pretty full-bodied and bright, with a flavorful but limpid center palate. A nice touch of phenolics and salinity at the end adds a bit more gravity to the wine. 40% viura, 30% maturana blanca and 30% garnacha blanca.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Flor De Muga Blanco is close to one-third each Viura, Garnacha Blanca, and Maturana Blanca, raised in new French oak. It has a slightly more reductive bouquet of crushed citrus, pear, and white flowers, and it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, a fresh, focused mouthfeel, and beautiful overall balance. It's a solid step up over the classic white and shines for its overall balance and purity.
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Wine Spectator
An overtone of mountain herbs is subtle and enticing; then, racy acidity and an underpinning of salinity work to define the palate's creamy layered flavors of pear, dried white cherry, lemon pith, clove and almond skin. Well-cut and well-spiced on the lingering finish. Viura, Garnacha Blanca and Maturana Blanca. Drink now through 2029. 1,000 cases made, 250 cases imported.
Bodegas Muga is a family firm founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga and Aurora Caño. The first wines were made in an underground cellar, until in 1968 they decided to set up their own winery in a beautiful old 19th-century town-house situated in the city of Haro. The Bodegas Muga outstanding feature is that it always uses the finest materials, combining tradition with the latest advances in winemaking so as always to give its wines the very best quality without losing authenticity. Indeed, it is the only wine cellar in Spain which employs its own master cooper and coopers, who make all the vats for the cellar as well as the oak casks. The winery remains true to traditional winemaking methods such as racking the casks by gravity and fining the wine with fresh egg whites. Bodegas Muga has succeeded in combining the purest family tradition with an updated vision of the future which has allowed them to preserve their own personality and character.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
Highly regarded for distinctive and age-worthy red wines, Rioja is Spain’s most celebrated wine region. Made up of three different sub-regions of varying elevation: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental. Wines are typically a blend of fruit from all three, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta, at the highest elevation, is considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier Rioja Oriental produce wines with deep color and higher alcohol, which can add great body and richness to a blend.
Fresh and fruity Rioja wines labeled, Joven, (meaning young) see minimal aging before release, but more serious Rioja wines undergo multiple years in oak. Crianza and Reserva styles are aged for one year in oak, and Gran Reserva at least two, but in practice this maturation period is often quite a bit longer—up to about fifteen years.
Tempranillo provides the backbone of Rioja red wines, adding complex notes of red and black fruit, leather, toast and tobacco, while Garnacha supplies body. In smaller percentages, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) often serve as “seasoning” with additional flavors and aromas. These same varieties are responsible for flavorful dry rosés.
White wines, typically balancing freshness with complexity, are made mostly from crisp, fresh Viura. Some whites are blends of Viura with aromatic Malvasia, and then barrel fermented and aged to make a more ample, richer style of white.