Torre Muga 2004, within the 10 best reds in the world

According to Wine Spectator, the well-known and prestigious specialized magazine, Torre Muga 2004 is placed within the 10 best red wines of the world list for 2007. This list is the result of reviewing more than 15,000 wines from around the world in blind tastings.

January 2008
Torre Muga 2004 was considered one of the 10 best red wines of the world for 2007, according to the prestigious American magazine Wine Spectator, which specializes in wines.

This excellent red wine, the top Spanish wine to show in the ranking, achieved a wonderful place in the so-called “Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2007”. The other 9 red wines that made the top 10 were:

  • Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 2004
  • Antinori Toscana Tignatello 2004
  • Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 2004
  • Château Léoville Las Cases St.- Julien 2004
  • Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005
  • Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005
  • Two Hands Shiraz Barossa Valley Bella’s Garden 2005
  • Mollydooker Shiraz McLaren Vale Carnival of Love 2006
  • Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 2004

Thirteen countries are represented in this final Top 100 list, selected from 15,000 wines from around the world. More than 3,500 of them earned outstanding rates of 90 points or higher (in a 100-point scale). Then the list narrowed down based on four criteria: quality (represented by score); value (reflected by release price); availability (measured by case production or cases imported); and an X-factor Wine Spectator calls excitement.

To enter this “Wine Spectator’s Top 100” in such a good position (within the best 10 red wines), is one of the most difficult challenges for winemakers around the world. This is because of the highly demanding requirements, the high competitiveness and the growing amount of labels participating each year. Spanish wines have only been playing a secondary role in this “WineSpectator’s Top 100” until recently.

There has been an great evolution since 1988 (the first edition of the “Top 100”) until 2007. In 1988 only two Spanish wines were chosen: one ranked 25 and the other 27. It would be in 2000 when Bodegas Muga turned up for the first time in this “Top 100” with Torre Muga 1995, together with three other Spanish wines. The turning point, however, was 2002, when the selection criteria changed. In the years previous to 2002, only 31 labels from Ribera del Duero (17) and Rioja (14) showed in the list and only 12 from the rest of Spain (highlight the 6 labels from Priorat). But after 2002, in only 5 years the two main regions have 12 labels in the “Top 100” and the rest of the Spanish areas add 20. So, the breakout of all the diversity of Spanish wine regions and the increase in the quality of their wines make Spanish wines to definitely play an important role in the world scene. While the average of Spanish labels in those first fifteen years of “Top 100” was a mere 2.86 per year, in the period 2003 – 2007 has grown to be an average of 6.82 labels a year. 2007 has been the best year with a total of 8 Spanish labels within the “Top 100”.

With this, the Family-run Bodegas Muga sees their effort, work and respect for the traditional manufacture and the Rioja soil finally acknowledged.