The sparkling Cava 2019 Conde de Haro was produced with Viura and 30% Chardonnay grapes. It achieved 11.8% alcohol and has very good freshness and acidity and is dry at 2.4 grams of residual sugar. It refermented in bottle where it was kept with the lees for some 18 months. It has a smoky and yeasty nose, small bubbles that give it texture and length. Very drinkable if not very profound. This is a wine they started in 1977 under the name Mugamar under the appellation Cava where they have remained ever since. 34,800 bottles produced. This was disgorged in March 2022.

2013 was a weird vintage for reds, but at Muga they consider it very good for whites, Rosés and sparklers. Yes, because they produce a sparkling wine under the Cava appellation, but it is produced with Rioja grapes grown in Rioja. The 2013 Conde de Haro is not produced in every vintage, as they only do it in years with high acidity (and 2013 certainly was like that); they pick the white grapes interplanted with red varieties in old vineyards in cooler zones. The blend can be approximately 90% Viura and some 10% Malvasía Riojana fermented in oak vats without malolactic, with a second fermentation in bottle where it is kept in contact with the lees for no less than two years. There is a very nice combination of nutty and yeasty aromas, and very good freshness, as the vintage was very good for white wines that show. The bubbles are fine and nicely integrated in the wine; it's not aggressive at all. 30,000 bottles produced.

A sparkling cuvée, the 2011 Conde de Haro is made from 90% Viura and 10% Malvasia, and was aged in bottle for 14 months prior to being released. This cava possesses crisp, fresh grapefruit and citrus characteristics in a light to medium-bodied style. The quality of the effervescence and pinpoint bubbles is impeccable. This well-made quaffer should drink well for 1-2 years.

The 2010 Conde de Haro Vintage is a sparkling white within the Cava appellation produced with grapes grown in Rioja and fermented and aged in the Muga cellars in Haro, as the appellation covers for wines produced in different parts of Spain, not only in Cataluna. It’s produced with 90% Viura and 10% Malvasia sourced from the vineyards used for Prado Enea, in the coldest part of the valley, where the grape varieties are mixed in the vineyard and the white grapes have a slow maturation. Fermentation takes place in 1,000-liter oak vats, malolactic fermentation is blocked, and the second fermentation is carried out in bottle with yeasts from the Oenological Institute of Champagne. The wine has about two grams of residual sugar, 11.6% alcohol and 7 grams of acidity with a pH of 3.05. It used to be sold as a non-vintage wine, but it was always from a single harvest, as they didn’t keep any older wine for blending. Since 2010 they decided to put the year on the label. It shows smoky yeast notes intermixed with some nuts, flowers and apple aromas. It’s a light-bodied wine with well-integrated, fine bubbles with high acidity and good freshness. 30,000 bottles are produced, of which 90% are exported. A great aperitif. Drink 2014-2018. I think the Muga family wines have been going from strength to strength and they are offering superbly-crafted wines from their cellars in the Barrio de la Estacion in Haro. I’ve seen a big change in Prado Enea starting with the 2004 vintage. As it happens, some of their wines are selling faster than they are produced (as they are not necessarily offered in every vintage) and they had no Prado Enea to show. The next vintage will be 2006, but there will be none in 2007 or 2008 and they need to fill the gap until the 2009 is released. The vintage of Torre Muga and Aro on the market is already 2010. There’s no stainless steel whatsoever at Muga, they have kept true to their beliefs, and all their wines are fermented in oak vats of different sizes. The winery has its own cooperage to mend these old vats and build their own barrels. I spoke to winemaker Jorge Muga during the harvest and he told me 2013 is a very difficult year, the most difficult he remembers ever. Mind you, he’s a young guy. Imported by Jorge Ordonez, Fine Estates from Spain, Dedham, MA; tel. (781) 461-5767

Muga’s sparkling offering, the N.V. Conde de Haro is made with the traditional methode champenoise from a blend of 90% Viura and 10% Malvasia. Medium straw-colored, it offers up an attractive nose of biscuit, white fruit, and floral notes. Fruity on the palate with apple and pear flavors, it is nicely balanced with a refreshing finish. Drink it over the next 1-2 years. Importer: Jorge Ordonez, Fine Estates from Spain, Dedham, MA; tel. (781) 461-5767