2005 Bodegas Muriel Rioja Gran Reserva

2005 Bodegas Muriel Rioja Gran Reserva

2005 Bodegas Muriel Rioja Gran Reserva

Medium ruby-brick color. It has an aromatic explosion of fine oak (vanilla, fine herb and spices), very mature fruit such as raisins, as well as caramel and subtle bottle aging sensations(leather and tobacco). These aromas become more intense and complex as the wine begins to breathe. On the palate the wine is perfectly assembled, full of velvet silkiness and finesse. Aclassic Rioja that is only produced in superior vintages.

Ideal all type of grilled and roasted meats. It also pairs well with strong fish and all kind of cured cheeses. Tasty with chocolate desserts and puddings.

James Suckling (93/100)
A very attractive, quite traditional-styled wine which still has fine fruit in spite of more than a decade of age.

Bodegas Muriel was founded in 1982, when Julian Murua revived his father’s (Jose Murua) winery, which dates back to 1926 in the heart of the Rioja Alavesa (one of the three sub-regions that make up Spain‘s Rioja appellation). The cellars are in the quaint, historic village of Elciego, which is renowned for being surrounded by some of the best “terrior” in Rioja.

The name “Muriel” comes from the combination of the family name (Murua) and the name of the town itself (Elciego). Today, Julian and his son Javier run the winery with the mission to meld the long-held winemaking traditions of the region with new technologies and techniques in order to make wines that express the “best qualities” of the grapes coming from these fertile Riojan vineyards.

Hailed as the star red variety in Spain?s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, Rioja, produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.