Rioja Gran Reserva Contino 2014
Case of 6 x 75cl
Contino
£350
Cune Imperial Gran Reserva 2016
CVNE
Our best vineyards located in La Rioja Alta are used for making Imperial Gran Reserva In 2016, we selected the small plots Remedio and Encinas, located in Villalba at an altitude between 550 and 650 metres , close to Sierra de Toloño . The climate is of Atlantic and Continental influence. The plots are of 12 hectares, within the total of 42 hectares of vineyards that CVNE owns in this village.
The plots of Barbarroja and Antoñana , located in Torremontalbo , were also selected for the 2016 vintage of Imperial. These 40 year old vineyards are bush trained, rainfed and of low yield. Soils of clay with areas of river pebbles, poor in organic matter and located on gentle south facing slopes.
Rigorous work was held in the vineyard followed by hand harvesting into 20kg boxes with a double selection in the field and in the cellar. Whole bunches were kept cool in order to improve fruit extraction and color stability. To ensure gentle handling, the grapes were fed by gravity to small oak vats where we macerate cold for a few hours before starting alcoholic fermentation, with indigenous yeasts at a controlled temperature of 28 29ºC . Punching and delestage are carried out daily during fermentation, as well as tastings to determine the perfect moment for draining the vat. Once completed, the wine was then aged in French and American oak barrels, new and of 1 year wine, for over 24 months with racking's every 8 months, followed by minimum 36 months bottle ageing in our century old cellars until its release.
The 2016 manual harvest for Imperial started on the 10th of October and ended on the 25th of October. 2016 was a year of excellent quality at CVNE, characterized by lack of rainfall between May and October. The year began with a dry, mild winter and rain at the beginning of spring. August brought temperatures above average, and with no rain, delaying the ripening process. The vegetative cycle lasted for 161 days. Fortunately, rain in September gave some respite to the vines and enabled full ripening of the grapes. Although the harvest was eventually later than usual, it was of great quality and with the vines in excellent health conditions.
Intense cherry red layer. On the nose it is interesting for its complexity, highlighting the liquorice , the fruits of the forest and the aromas of cloves, roasted coffee, cigar leaf, chocolate, caramel and certain balsamic notes, which naturally come from the stay in the barrel. The palate is marked by a velvety tannin that gives it the elegance of this wine as well as having a very attractive aftertaste. In the glass it will evolve, expanding its aromatic variety. It can be paired alone or accompanied by red meats, game, fatty fish, cured cheeses... Recommended service temperature 18ºC.
The wine will be available by January 2023.
Bottle Format:
75cl
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Variant
Status
Price
Quantity
Ratings
95 Points Robert Parker
“The classical 2016 Imperial Gran Reserva was produced with a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo from grapes that were picked between October 10 and 25 with good ripeness, delivering a wine with 14.5% alcohol after fermenting in small oak vats followed by malolactic in concrete and two years in barrel and three in bottle. I was quite surprised, because the wine was quite closed and needed energetic swirling and time in the glass to reveal its true colors. It has more stuffing and finesse than the reserva. 2016 was a very good vintage, with freshness and balance to develop nicely in bottle. The tannins are very fine, and the wine is tasty and long. 50,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2019.”
98 Points James Suckling
“Polished and structured with firm, very fine tannins. Lots going on here, with layers of black fruit, dried spices, graphite, coconut and cracked pepper. Full-bodied and so intense. Keeps going. Long. The tannins are so fine and so numerous. One of the greatest modern gran reservas. 85% tempranillo, 10% graciano and 5% mazuelo. Try in 2025.”
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Spain
Grape vines have been grown on the Iberian Peninsula since at least 3000 B.C., although it was not until 1000 B.C. that winemaking began here in earnest – a skill brought by Phoenician traders from the eastern Mediterranean. Today, Spain is home to more vines than any other country on Earth, and has a national wine output exceeded only by France and Italy.
All seventeen of Spain's administrative regions (communidades autónomas) produce wine to some extent, including the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands. The greatest concentration of vineyards is in Castilla-La Mancha, but the finest and most famous wines come from Galicia (Rias Baixas), Catalonia (Cava and Priorat), Andalucia (Sherry), Castilla y Leon (Rueda, Toro and Ribera del Duero) and of course Rioja.
Geography and climate together play a fundamental role in defining Spain's many wine styles. From cool, green Galicia and the snow-capped Pyrenees in the north, via the parched central plateau, to sandy, sunny Andalucia in the south, the Spanish landscape is very diverse. The country spans seven degrees of latitude (36°N to 43°N), leaving 500 miles (800km) between its Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.
The key red-wine varieties, in order of acreage, are Tempranillo, Bobal, Garnacha and Monastrell. The leading white-wine varieties are Airen, Viura/Macabeo and Palomino and Albarino. 'International' varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are becoming more and more popular in Spain, and their plantings are rising in various Spanish regions. Along with the most popular varieties, there are regional specialties, such as Hondarrabi Zuri in the Basque Country, Marmajuelo in the Canary Islands and Zalema in Andalucia.
Rioja
Rioja in Northern Spain is best known for berry-scented, barrel-aged red wines made from Tempranillo and Garnacha. It is arguably Spain's top wine region. It is certainly the most famous, rivaled only by Jerez. The vineyards trace the course of the Ebro River for roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) between the towns of Haro and Alfaro.
Other than Tempranillo and Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) are also used in red Rioja wines. A few wineries, notably Marqués de Riscal, use small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon. White grapes are much less widely planted.
The Rioja wine region is contained mostly within the La Rioja administrative region, through which the Rio Oja river flows. However its northernmost vineyards are sited in neighboring Navarra and Pais Vasco (Basque Country). The region is demarcated less by political and administrative boundaries and more by geographical features. Among these the most relevant are the Ebro and foothills of the Sierra de la Demanda and Sierra de Cantabria mountain ranges. The Cantabrian Mountains, which flank Rioja to the north and west, provide shelter from cold, wet influences of the Atlantic Ocean. This is a significant factor in the local climate, which is significantly warmer and drier than that just to the north. The region's soils vary from place to place, with the finest containing high levels of limestone.
The amount of time that a Rioja wine spends in barrel dictates which of the official Rioja aging categories goes on the label: Joven, Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva.
Rioja Joven wines are intended for consumption within two years of vintage. They spend little or no time in oak – jóven is Spanish for "young". This category may also include wines which have undergone aging, but for some other reason do not gain certifications for the higher categories. Many modern juicy, everyday reds fit into this category. Some of these are made using a variant of carbonic maceration.
Crianza red wines are aged for at least one year in oak, and one year in bottle. They are released in the third year. White Crianza wines must also be aged for two years but only six months needs to be in casks.
Reserva red wines spend a minimum of one year in oak. They cannot be sent to market until a full three years after vintage. The white Reserva wines need only spend six months of the three years in casks.
Gran Reserva red wines undergo a total of five years' aging with at least two years spent in barrel. The white counterparts must age for at least four years, with a minimum of 12 months in casks.The amount of time that a Rioja wine spends in barrel dictates which of the official Rioja aging categories goes on the label: Joven, Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva.
