Murua Rioja Reserva | 2016

Murua is one of five wine estates owned by Spain’s Masaveu family. A family-owned business since 1840, they also own Spain’s largest private art collection in addition to successful ventures in real estate, car parks, and medicine. They are a powerhouse, well-equipped and endowed, enabling a steadfast commitment to quality. They purchased Murua in 1974, located in the village of Elciego, in Rioja Alavesa, where old vines are their keystone. A traditional blend of Tempranillo with Graciano and Mazuelo, sourced from eight plots, this is the newly released 2016. Aged in a combination of French and American oak for twenty months, followed by four years in the bottle, the wine shows-off a nice balance between fruit and earth. Medium-plus body with precise tannins, the palate is generous with dark cherries and strawberries, sweet charcuterie and red earth, then Graciano’s exotic white spice lingers on the finish. ~Allegra A