Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva Seleccion Especial 2009

Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva Seleccion Especial 2009 (SKU 91611, WS95, $39.99)

I was looking for an interesting wine for my Chinese take out dinner and saw the "Special Selection" offering from Muga. I tasted the regular Reserva version (SKU49254, WS88, $29.99) two weeks ago and found it very enjoyable. I could not believe my eyes when I found out that this slightly more expensive version was rated 95 points by Wine Spectator. When first opened, it gave a very pleasant fruity nose. Of course I decanted this heavy duty wine because of its age. After spending one and a half hours in the decanter, it was still tight. As it was a wine made from the Spanish tempranilllo grape blend, it tasted more dry than the usual grapes. Most of my tasting panel did not think that it was a 95 point wine and most would not pay $40 for it. I persisted and left the rest in the bottle and tasted it over the next two evenings. The wine actually held up quite well by displaying more fruit as time went on. I agreed that this is not a 95 point wine, but I think it has merits. Wine Spectator indicated that it is best from 2013 to 2025. So I may have opened the wine too early. At this price, I am willing to give it a few more years in the cellar and taste it again. As the Euro is dropping, I think the European wines will give us better value than the American wines in the next year or two. I cannot tell how much stock there is in the LDB system as the SKU does not show up in its website. I found a dozen bottles at the Cambie and 39th store on February 7, 2015.