A muscular red in a sleek, limber frame, this offers saturated black currant and black cherry fruit flavors, with exotic spice and espresso notes expressing themselves in a modern style. Yet there's undeniable purity, with racy acidity focusing the tightly meshed flavors and dense, chalky tannins. Hints of violet, thyme, iron and spice play on the lasting finish. Tempranillo and Graciano. Best from 2024 through 2034. 430 cases made, 50 cases imported.??–AN??Region: Spain / Rioja Select to Add

No 2017 or 2018 were produced of this luxury cuvée made with up to 30% Graciano to complement the Tempranillo from the villages of Labastida, Bri?as and Villalba, so from the impressive 2016 I tasted in June 2019, we jumped to the 2019 Aro. The destemmed grapes went through optical sorting and fermented in small oak vats with indigenous yeasts followed by malolactic in new barrels, where the wine matured for 16 months. It's not a shy wine at 14.6% alcohol, and the Graciano provides extra acidity and vibrancy. It has great balance and a spark of acidity and is a very complete wine, with great aromatics and integrated oak (all new barrels, but better integrated than ever); it has the ripeness of Graciano, which ripens with low yields and only ripens thoroughly in given vintages, and they had to skip warm years like 2011 when some varieties like Graciano and Mazuelo didn't behave well. This is the finest Aro so far. 5,800 bottles were filled in July 2021.

This powerful red offers ripe dark fruit flavors of currant and blackberry, supported by muscular tannins and sparky acidity. Loamy earth, espresso and mineral notes add depth. Rich and dense, in the modern style. Drink now through 2032. 430 cases made, 50 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Rioja Select to Add

The most unusual and backward of the wines in the Muga portfolio is the Graciano-rich blend 2016 Aro, a blend of Tempranillo with 30% Graciano that is only produced when Graciano ripens properly. The grapes comes from a single vineyard that they now know quite well. 2016 was a good year for the grape, and the wine has notes of violets and dark chocolate, quite hedonistic and showy. The Graciano really lifts the Tempranillo, and the blend comes through as high pitched and vibrant, which is also the general style of the year from what I've seen. The oak is still present on the nose, and the palate shows quite tannic; the wine is going to benefit from a couple of years in bottle. If you like toasty, showy and hedonistic reds you could drink it now, but if you prefer more subtleness, you should wait for it. 5,200 bottles were filled in February 2019.

This generous red has a rich texture, with firm tannins supporting the blackberry and currant flavors, laced with smoke, cocoa and licorice notes. Ripe and bold, but focused. Drink now through 2027. 5,000 cases made, 25 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Rioja Select to Add