2016 Muga Rioja Gran Reserva Prado Enea
Rioja, Spain

Prado Enea Gran Reserva is one of Rioja's flagship Gran Reservas, a wine that exemplifies the savory, developed nuance this classification is known for combined with the structure, fruit, freshness, acidity, and ageability of Rioja's greatest Gran Reservas from yesteryear.

97+ Wine Advocate
The 2020 Flor de Muga Blanco has a golden color and a smoky and toasty nose. It was produced with Viura and around 30% Garnacha Blanca and Maturana Blanca, sold as Reserva. It fermented and matured separately in barrels and a few 500-liter barrels for six years. It's chalky, tasty, round and balanced with very good freshness (a constant in the whites and rosés) and has a long, tasty finish. 20,340 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2021.

GRAPES
80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano

SOIL
Calcareous clay and alluvial. With an altitude ranging between 550 and 600 metres.

WINEMAKING
The vineyards for Prado Enea are always amongst the last to be harvested by Bodegas Muga. Hand-harvested and transported to the winery in crates to protect the grapes from bruising and crushing. The berries are destemmed and optically sorted, but not crushed. Fermentation is started by pied de cuve and carried out in 10,000L (without temperature control) oak vats of varying sizes that are produced on the premises at Bodegas Muga. Malolactic is delayed until late Spring by cooling the cellars with ambient air. Malolactic is spontaneous and takes place in the fermentation vessel.

AGING
A minimum of minimum of 48 months at the winery in barrels and vats of varying sizes and age, ranging from 225L barrique to 16,000L oak vat, all coopered on the premises. Oak is a blend of French (80%) and American (20%). The wine is aged in bottle for a minimum of 36 months before release once bottled.