TN: 2021 Gurpegui Muga Rioja 147 Aniversario

2021 Bodegas Luis Gurpegui Muga Rioja 147 Aniversario Rioja - this is a screw cap Tempranillo that sells for $20 in our local stores and I was lured into buying a bottle by the sticker on the label indicating that Wine Enthusiast had rated it 94 points. Unscrewed it (rather than popped a cork) before dinner and let it air a bit before tasting. Biggest let down in awhile! Bland wine with high acidity, little length and a bland finish. I wouldn't use it to marinate something. Interesting range of reviews on CT - some quite complimentary and other much less so. No idea what Wine Enthusiast was thinking (or if...) but it was about level with the screwtop magnums of local wine we sometimes buy to use to make marinades for tough meat (or to serve to the wife's relatives if they ever come by). I don't rate wines by giving them a point score, but if I did this one would get maybe an 80. Even SWMBO, who is nowhere near as critical of wines as I am, raised an interrogatory eyebrow at me when she tasted it.

Two thumbs down!

I see this is a different winery than the Bodegas Muga that I'm familiar with, and which makes top-quality Rioja.

-Paul W.

Yes, I'm not sure where the Muga comes into it. The Muga Reserva sells for $34 in my market and is a very decent wine. (the Prado Enea GR is just over $100). I'm not sure what (if any) relationship there is between that Muga and Luis Gurpegui Muga - perhaps just a shared surname? https://luisgurpeguimuga.com/en To give them their due, 'Muga' appears nowhere on the labels.

Had a look - I've got a half case of the 2005 Prado Enea that should be just entering prime time for drinking. Put it on my to-be-tasted list (which is pretty dodgy as it is a mental rather than written list)

Just a shared family surname, I think. Like the Gros family in Burgundy.

-Paul W.