2002 Bodegas Muga Reserva

[TheEngineer]

This seems much bigger than the 2001. Dark, opaque, black purple, very VERY heavy on the oak and once past that, there is some spiciness, dark cherries, smokines, herbiness, and very dry. I almost could not drink it the first night and it was a bit more settled the second night. Still a very large wine....wonder what the Torre Muga would have been like.

[dananne]

The basic Muga Reserva bottle has been a staple in our cellar since the '97. It is both reliable and consistent, and it offers great bang for the buck. The Reserva is still made in a more traditional style, which we like. They age well, too, and we just killed the last of our '97s this year. They probably could have gone 15, and '97 wasn't even a great year. We're sitting on the '00 Torre Muga and the '01 Selection Especial for another few years. Until then, we'll continue drinking the Reservas. Thanks for the notes -- we've yet to pop an '02.

[TheEngineer]

ahh...chalk yet another one up to inexperience. I'll let the other wines sit for a while. Thanks for the pointer.

[dananne]

Nah, I didn't mean to imply that you cracked it open too early. Actually, 5 years from vintage is a good time to start popping 'em. What I wanted to say is that you CAN age them if you want to, and that they typically show well for a decade or more. We only have one of the '99s left, and we've got scattered '00s, '01s, and '02s. We've tasted the '00 and '01, and I'll likely pop an '02 this summer and give it a spin. Again, thanks for the notes!