No 2017 or 2018 were produced of this luxury cuvée made with up to 30% Graciano to complement the Tempranillo from the villages of Labastida, Briñas and Villalba, so from the impressive 2016 I tasted in June 2019, we jumped to the 2019 Aro. The destemmed grapes went through optical sorting and fermented in small oak vats with indigenous yeasts followed by malolactic in new barrels, where the wine matured for 16 months. It's not a shy wine at 14.6% alcohol, and the Graciano provides extra acidity and vibrancy. It has great balance and a spark of acidity and is a very complete wine, with great aromatics and integrated oak (all new barrels, but better integrated than ever); it has the ripeness of Graciano, which ripens with low yields and only ripens thoroughly in given vintages, and they had to skip warm years like 2011 when some varieties like Graciano and Mazuelo didn't behave well. This is the finest Aro so far. 5,800 bottles were filled in July 2021.

The 2019 Aro is a blend of 70% Tempranillo and 30% Graciano sourced from Rioja Alta and aged for 18 months in new French oak barrels. Dark garnet in color, the nose offers notes of cigar box and cedar, accompanied by plum marmalade and herbal aromas over a vanilla layer. On the palate, it is dry, fairly rich and concentrated, with a juicy and compact flow that stirs the substantial mouthfeel. The 2019 offers a flavorful, complex, high-impact Rioja experience, delivering a more New World approach to Muga's wines while still retaining the heightened core that makes them so delightful.