Rioja trip report

[Sherr1_Shap1r0]

An area I’d really like to visit some day. Interesting, lots of photos of barrels, no photos of vineyards?

HI Casey - I took many photos that I didn’t upload to the thread. I just posted a few photos from each winery.

[Arv_R]

Muga was a similar large tour as Cvne (and just down the road). The thing that was most remarkable about Muga is that they are the only winery in Spain that produces their own barrels. We visited the cooperage room and they explained the barrel making process, which I knew very little about. The other thing that stood out at Muga is that the barrel storage room was very overcorded! The had barrels in every possible crevice. We tasted 2 wines at the end of the tour: 2017 Muga white which is 90% viura, 10% malvasía and white garnacha, and 2015 Muga crianza, which is 70 & Tempranillo, 20% Grenache , and 10% mazuelo and graciano. The white was simple and easy drinking, with pineapple and citrus aromas and flavors, and the crianza was ok, nothing great.

Great trip report Sherri, I loved reading about those estates and seeing the pictures!

I had the 2015 Muga ‘reserva’ [Rioja] last night/today and I think its the same bottling that you had, as they call it crianza in Spain, but Reserva for the US Export market. (No idea why they do it that way, but I don’t think they’re the only bodega doing that). I like this more than you did, but that could have been stemware, root day, preferences etc. Overview: 14% abv, better on day 1, medium to full bodied, with a dark purple robe. For my tastes, there is still lots of oak here waiting to be absorbed, and maybe more acid than typical. Good balsalm notes. Muga make an ocean of this from their own vineyards, as well as contracted/bought in grapes; my bottle was from the L-8038 batch. I’m not sure where that fits in their 1mm output though (whether early/late etc.). I popped this on the young side since I was concerned about heat exposure when it was purchased – sure enough the cork showed signs of expansion/leakage. Not much, but likely enough that its longevity would have been compromised, even if it still tasted quite good upon popping and pouring. On the nose I get sweet clove cigarettes, and then plums, pine on the palate. It throws a sediment, even if its not the ‘unfiltered’ bottling I sometimes see. I’d give this an A- on my scorecard and I’d expect the 2015 vintage ought to be fine for another decade at least.

PS: I thought the 2010 regular reserva is drinking better for consumption today

[Jayson_Cohen]

Nice report!

Re: Muga and barrels, it’s not true they are the only winery in Spain producing their own barrels. At least Lopez de Heredia across the street makes and repairs their own barrels. I had a discussion with Isaac Muga a couple years ago that this claim appears somewhere in print but now I can’t remember what he said about it.

[markjchambers]

Interesting fact: the wood for Muga’s barrels comes from Ohio.

I think Roda is under-appreciated. It doesn’t get reviewed or mentioned on this Board. When I visited in 2019, Esperanza hosted, and it was a very personal experience. Roda seems to do a lot of science in their winemaking. Esperanza helped us make connections with other Rioja wineries. And they have a winery in Ribera del Duero, Corimbo. Also unappreciated.

[Blake_Brown]

Very nice writeup. Much of your trip was part of ours that got cancelled last year, especially visits to Muga, Cvne and LDH, so it was a vicarious treat to get your notes- many thanks.

[Jayson_Cohen]

Just now seeing this report is from a few years ago. That’s what happens when surfing Berserkers at almost 3 am my time.

[Blake_Brown]

Just now seeing this report is from a few years ago. That’s what happens when surfing Berserkers at almost 3 am my time.

Thanks Jayson. I just now recognized it as well and it’s mid morning.

[Arv_R]

Interesting fact: the wood for Muga’s barrels comes from Ohio.

I think Roda is under-appreciated. It doesn’t get reviewed or mentioned on this Board. When I visited in 2019, Esperanza hosted, and it was a very personal experience. Roda seems to do a lot of science in their winemaking. Esperanza helped us make connections with other Rioja wineries. And they have a winery in Ribera del Duero, Corimbo. Also unappreciated.

Roda may have a good location for their winery/tourists, but I think their production is less well distributed and they are newer compared to the houses that started last century. Thus perhaps less attention, even on a wine board. I bought their Roda I in the 2015 vintage, just based on pro reviews. Their nomenclature of wines seems strange to me; what is wrong with using the usual DOCa conventions?

[Ramon_C]

Nice report!

Re: Muga and barrels, it’s not true they are the only winery in Spain producing their own barrels. At least Lopez de Heredia across the street makes and repairs their own barrels. I had a discussion with Isaac Muga a couple years ago that this claim appears somewhere in print but now I can’t remember what he said about it.

I also recall, although quite vaguely, hearing the claim during an appointment visit that they, Muga, were the only winery having their own cooperage, but don’t recall whether in Rioja of in all of Spain. The visit then included a stop of their barrel-making facility.

It was odd as the 2 wineries across the street also made barrels.

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

Well, old thread, but new to me! Thanks for the write-up, Sherri.

If found this part particularly interesting, as I have never heard of any winery employing such a technique:

"Remirez de Ganuza is only 29 years old … had a very modern “assembly line” for sorting and destemming - they made a big point that they cut off the bottom portion of the grape clusters and separated those for the “young” wine and only the top part (“shoulders”) went into their top wines. They had us taste a grape from the top of the cluster and compare it to one from the bottom to illustrate why they separate them (top was definitely sweeter).

Has anybody ever heard of this before? Is there a name for this bifurcation of bunches? What do folks think of this technique? If, in fact, the grapes are materially different at the top of the bunch than at the bottom, are the resultant wines out of balance for lack of the bunch’s other half?

[Jayson_Cohen]

Well, old thread, but new to me! Thanks for the write-up, Sherri.

If found this part particularly interesting, as I have never heard of any winery employing such a technique:

"Remirez de Ganuza is only 29 years old … had a very modern “assembly line” for sorting and destemming - they made a big point that they cut off the bottom portion of the grape clusters and separated those for the “young” wine and only the top part (“shoulders”) went into their top wines. They had us taste a grape from the top of the cluster and compare it to one from the bottom to illustrate why they separate them (top was definitely sweeter).

Has anybody ever heard of this before? Is there a name for this bifurcation of bunches? What do folks think of this technique? If, in fact, the grapes are materially different at the top of the bunch than at the bottom, are the resultant wines out of balance for lack of the bunch’s other half?

Seems like the opposite of using grapes of various sizes and maturity (millerandage), which as long as most of the grapes are of good ripeness can provide complexity and structure.

[Arv_R]

I’ve heard of other estates using this technique; some do it at the harvesting time rather than via sorting later.

It must be crazy labor intensive, and perhaps fruit squandering, to do all that.

But the few times I’ve had Remirez de Ganuza’s flagship they were impressive; haven’t tried their lower level wines which supposedly get the lesser grapes.