Wine Advisor
CVNE, Contino Gran Reserva Rioja 2007
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
They started making small quantities of Gran Reserva in 1996, a wine halfway between tradition and modernity. The 2007 Gran Reserva is produced with over 60-year-old, destemmed Tempranillo grapes fermented in cement vats without epoxy coating. At every harvest, the inside of the vats are painted three times with tartaric acid before the grapes arrive, like in the good old days. Malolactic fermentation was carried out in new barrels and then transferred to used American and French barrel where it stayed for three years. The wine, only bottled in magnum (and bigger sizes), also rested in bottle for a minimum of three years before being released. It’s an elegant, clean wine, taking the best of the modern and traditional schools, and it’s both fresh and sweet, very drinkable, with good acidity and very elegant tannins. They try to always have 15% of fresh varieties like Graciano or Garnacha in the blend. This is developing aromas of sweet spices and has a clean, delineated acidity. It should age superbly. Drink 2015-2020. Contino is not a brand name from CVNE, it’s a completely separate winery and vineyard in Laserna in the municipality of Laguardia in Rioja Alvesa created as a joint-venture with the owners of a superb vineyard, house and old caves in a meander of the Ebro river in 1973. It is considered the first chateau style winery in Rioja. All their wines are produced with their own grapes sourced from the 63 hectares of vineyards within their San Rafael estate. The style is terroir-driven, classical-modern. In 2013 they suffered a terrible hail storm on September 6, so we’ll see little Contino from the 2013 vintage. They just started experimenting with white in 2006 and they have only sold a couple of vintages. The Vina del Olivo was not ready with the new vintage (2010) so I quickly tasted the 2009, which showed extremely fresh and Atlantic for a powerful vintage, a highly drinkable wine which is already reviewed and available on the database. Imported by Europvin USA, Van Nuys, CA; www.europvin.com
About the Producer
CVNE was named "Top 100 Wineries of the Year" by Wine & Spirits magazine in 2015. The winery has also had up to 40 of its wines listed in renowned American wine critic Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate has scored over 90 points. The 2004 Imperial Gran Reserva was awarded the Wine Spectator's "Top 100 Wines of the Year" in 2013, the first time a Spanish winery has won the WS Top 100, which is very representative. CVNE is one of the largest family-owned winemaking groups in Rioja, founded in 1879 by two brothers, Eusebio and Raimundo Real de Asua. The family is now in its fifth generation and has a long history of 135 years. The CVNE brand symbolizes the Spanish flag and is the only winery authorized to use the Spanish flag as a base color for its logo. CVNE has a close relationship with the Spanish royal family, and its Grand Cru has been selected as the wedding wine for members of the Spanish royal family. The King of Spain, Juan Carlos, inaugurated the new wine cellar, thus giving the winery an innate mission to be a leader in the production of quality Spanish wines. Cune is the founding winery of the group, and the team places great emphasis on winemaking and ageing, with four wineries spanning Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa: Cune, Imperial, Vina Real and Contino. Contino.) Cune Rioja Reserva 2017 The wine has a garnet red color with a pinkish edge. It has a very high concentration, with aromas of berries and licorice recognized and combined with aromas aged in oak, such as spices, vanilla and anise. The palate is smooth, as the tannins are well integrated, bringing elegance and an aftertaste. The fruity aromas are all very good on the finish.
