Muga mostly uses very traditional winemaking methods, resulting in traditional style wines, but it also produces remarkable examples of limited production, modern cuvées. These are wines that Spanish wine writers have dubbed viños de autor, because they are designed to be the highest expression of Tempranillo possible. Muga’s two entries in this category are the flagship “Torre Muga” and the super cuvée “Aro”. Compared with the traditional Rioja style, the modern style is characterized by deeper color and concentration; riper, more fruit-forward flavors; earlier accessibility and release dates as well as aging in French oak barriques instead of the traditional American oak. Torre Muga is a true benchmark of modern styled Rioja.

Bodegas Muga is located in the Rioja Alta subzone of Rioja, in the town of Haro in the historic railroad district. Here, the great nineteenth century bodegas CVNE, La Rioja Alta and López de Heredia stand together with Muga and newcomer RODA. Bodegas Muga's founders, Isaac Muga and his wife Aurora Caño, decided in 1932 that rather than remain contract growers for large bodegas they would vinify their own grapes and sell their own wine. They founded Bodegas Muga during very difficult economic times, but the bodega has survived the Depression, The Spanish Civil War, and The Second World War, to become one of the region's most successful wineries.

Today, Manuel (“Manu”) and Jorge Muga, Isaac’s grandsons, are at the helm of the family bodega. They uphold traditional methods, when they feel that they contribute to the quality of the wine. For example, there are only a few ultra-traditional Rioja bodegas that utilize wood throughout the entire winemaking process, but Manu Muga believes that traditional wood tanks provide better micro-oxygenation during fermentation than modern stainless steel, fiberglass or concrete. As a result, the winery utilizes large, 16,000-liter tinas (large wooden tanks) for fermentation.

The 2001 Torre Muga, albeit a modern-styled wine, is the product of classic vinification, using a traditional blend of Rioja varietals (75% Tempranillo, 15% Mazuelo and 10% Graciano), grown on calcareous clay and well-drained, alluvial soil. Only fruit from the best bunches of old vines end up on the winery's triage table, where the grapes undergo an intense selection process. The wine is fermented in large tinas before aging for 22 months in large American oak tinas of 18,000 liter capacity and 16 months in new Allier oak casks. The wines are fined with egg whites (the traditional Rioja method) before unfiltered bottling. Just 2,000 cases come to the U.S.

The 2001 Torre Muga has tight, well-defined aromas of wild herbs, minerals, and spiced, crushed red cherries with black raspberry notes. On the palate, there’s clean, expansive fruit with considerable size and extreme focus. The wine has the huge structure (fruit, acidity and tannins) you would expect from the flagship modern style cuvée of a venerable producer like Muga. To serve this wine in the next one to three years, decant for at least an hour to allow it to open up, or cellar for the next ten to fifteen years. Pair this wine with roast beef, grilled steaks, roast suckling pig and lamb, roast venison and any other dish with rich, hearty flavors.

—Chris

“The modern-styled, expensive, but terrific 2001 Torre Muga offers an opaque ruby/purple color in addition to sweet plum, cedar, tobacco, new saddle leather, allspice, raspberry, and black cherry fruit aromas as well as flavors. It is a wine of admirable intensity, full body, and superb purity, size, potency, and harmony.”—WA 95