2010 Conde de Haro

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