2024 Bodegas Muga Blanco [JS92][WA90+]

Producer: Bodegas Muga Region: Rioja, Spain Blend: 85% Viura, 10% Garnacha Blanca, 5% Malvasía  Year: 2024   James Suckling, 92 Points  "Very pretty aromas of honeysuckle, apple and pear with hints of stone. Medium body. Crisp and vivid with a stony undertone. Crisp and delicious. Blend of mostly viura with garnacha blanca and malvasia. Only 60% wood in this."  Wine Advocate, 90+ Points  "The white 2022 Blanco, 70% Viura with the rest mostly Garnacha Blanca, has a significant percentage of ripe Malvasía Riojana (a grape that doesn't ripen well every year), and it might have given it an extra kick of acidity. They blend wine from barrel and tank, which they started doing in 2016, and reduce the effect of the oak, especially the toast. They have discarded Tempranillo Blanco. This is still fresh and balanced, ripe and powerful, with 14% alcohol, but it keeps a low pH. It’s clean and tasty, with a spicy twist but no obvious oak."  Winemaker Notes:  "The 2022 vintage of Muga Blanco