The 2019 Torre Muga is always a more powerful, ripe expression of Rioja that never loses its sense of place. Deep ruby/purple, with a glorious bouquet of cassis, graphite, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and crushed stone, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a deep, pure, multi-dimensional texture, building tannins, and good acidity. It's young, unevolved, yet oh, so promising. Hide bottles for 7-8 years if you can, and it will cruise for 20-30 years. The blend is 80% Tempranillo and the balance Mazuelo and Graciano, aged 18 months in French oak.

The 2019 Torre Muga showcases the classical blend of Tempranillo, Mazuelo (Cariñena) and Graciano, all from old and some ancient vines. The grapes are harvested into 200-kilogram boxes, the bunches destemmed and the grapes put through optical sorting to ferment in small oak vats with indigenous yeasts. Malolactic was in new French oak barrels, where the wine aged after racking for some 18 months, during which time it was racked every eight to nine months. It was fined with egg whites. 2019 is a great vintage for Muga, and they produced quality and quantity, which is remarkable. This has a slightly more modern profile and some French oak undertones, more noticeable in a wide glass and subtler in a narrower one. But it has stuffing, freshness and balance to absorb it in the short to medium term. And it's a year of power and finesse, one of the best in recent years. 47,880 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2021.

This harmonious, medium- to full-bodied version is lively and expressive, with good tension from the creamy tannins, creating a frame for flavors of fig cake, crushed boysenberry, espresso, sweet tobacco, minerally iron and stone. Long and focused on the fresh finish. Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Graciano. Drink now through 2030. 3,000 cases made, 400 cases imported.