2005 Muga Aro Rioja

(95 points) "The flagship 2005 Aro is composed of 70% Tempranillo and 30% Graciano sourced from Muga’s best and oldest vineyards. It is then aged for 18 months in new French oak. Purple/black in color, the wine’s legs ooze slowly down the glass. Aromas of toasty new oak, mineral, spice box, incense, and blackberry are followed by a muscular, back-strapping infant of a wine with huge fruit, flavor, and structure. Deep, layered, and nearly impenetrable, it will require a minimum of a decade of cellaring. Do not think of touching a bottle before 2015 and then enjoy it through 2030. It is a true vin de garde." (06/09)  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate