Muriel Reserva 2016, a classic wine that improves day by day
Our flagship red wine will build on the recognition of the preceding 2015 vintage
If loyalty and perseverance were wine, they would be Muriel Fincas de la Villa Reserva. It is one of our most iconic reds, combining our trademark winemaking style and the expression of its origin in the vineyards of Elciego, in the heart of Rioja Alavesa.
Good Rioja Reservas always include, as part of their terroir, a long ageing period: as a rule, a minimum of 36 months of ageing, of which at least 12 months must be spent in oak barrels. At Muriel Wines, these requirements have been turned to our advantage to create our own style based on solid foundations: the quality of the Tempranillo grapes grown in the constellation of plots surrounding the village of Elciego. The resulting wine, the fruit of a painstaking selection, epitomises the depth, complexity and balance of fruit and time that defines the great classic wines of Rioja.
A few months ago, in mid 2021, we released the new 2016 vintage. It was a dry cycle with a very hot summer, resulting in perfectly healthy grapes. The DOCa Rioja Regulatory Board rated the 2016 vintage as Very Good.
Future
Muriel Reserva 2016 still needs some time to express its full potential. This is the thing about good Reservas ?they need to be laid down for a prolonged period of time in order to find their natural place on the podium. The first critics' reviews show promising results, such as 90 points in the Gilbert&Gaillard guide and a Silver medal in the International Wine Challenge 2021. In a few months, the wine will be at least on the level of its immediate predecessor, the 2015 vintage, which scored 92 Gilbert&Gaillard points, 92 Suckling points and 93 Decanter points ("An explosion of dried fruit, wild strawberries and dark chocolate. Exceptionally smooth and agile, with a very long, moreish finish?).
For the time being, we can still enjoy Muriel Reserva 2015. Try it next to the 2016 vintage to do a comparison based on the so-called "vintage factor": how two wines of the same lineage and winemaking style vary depending on the particular weather conditions of a given year.
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