Cune Rioja Gran Reserva Gift Set 2x750mL Bottles with Decanter 2015 (1.5L)

 

Rated 94 Points by James Suckling

 

Blackberry, bark and wet-earth aromas follow through to a medium body with firm, lightly chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish with hints of chocolate, and vanilla to the dark fruit.  Tempranillo.  Drink or hold.

 

Rated 93 Points by Vinous

 

Glistening ruby.  Expansive red and blue fruit, pipe tobacco, potpourri and baking spice aromas, with vanilla and smoky mineral notes slowly emerging.  Sappy and gently chewy on the palate, offering spice-accented black raspberry, bitter cherry and rose pastille flavors that turn sweeter on the back half.  Shows sharp focus and repeating florality on the long, subtly tannic finish, which leaves behind notes of candied blue fruits and cola.

 

Rated 92 Points by Tim Atkin

 

Slightly riper and higher in alcohol than most vintages of CVNE's Gran Reserva, reflecting the warm vintage conditions, this is an ageworthy blend of Tempranillo with 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo framed by French and American oak.  Youthful and concentrated with black fruit, fresh acidity and structured tannins.

 

Cune Rioja Gran Reserva 2015

 

Two (2) Bottle Decanter Gift Set

 

Gift Set includes Two (2) Bottles Cune Rioja Gran Reserva and

One (1) Cune Glass Decanter  

 

Type of Wine:  Gran Reserva

 

Region of Production:  Rioja, Spain

 

Grape Varieties:  85%  Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo

 

Alcohol:  13.5%

 

Winemaker Notes

 

Ruby red in color, the wine shows a youthful hint at the rim.  The nose reveals interesting and complex aromas of ripe fruits in perfect balance with spices, toffee, roasted coffee and balsamic notes.  The palate is soft with silky tannins, good, fresh acidity and a long finish with a balsamic aftertaste.

 

Pairings:  In terms of matching, this wine is a perfect companion for any dish of the Mediterranean cuisine.

 

Winemaking

 

Hand harvested int0 20kg crates followed by meticulous monitoring of the ripening process.  On arrival at the winery, the grapes are placed into a cold room for 24 hours, in order to avoid oxidation, stabilize color and preserve the aromas of the fruit.

 

Alcoholic fermentation takes place in small stainless steel and concrete tanks with indigenous yeasts, followed by malolactic in concrete.  Ageing in American and French oak barrels for 24 months.  Finally the wine was left to age for a minimum of three years in our centenary cellars under optimum temperature and humidity conditions until being released to the market.

 

The Vineyard

 

The grapes destined for the Cune Gran Reserva 2015 are hand-harvested from our own vineyards.The main source is our vineyard in Torremontalvo, where grapes are selected from a total of 70 hectares; the vines are bush trained with an average age of 45 years old and are mainly south and east facing.  The soils are clay in some areas with vegetation cover and there are large numbers of river stones.

 

Annual rainfall depends on the area, but is usually around 500mm and the climate, with some Atlantic influence, is continental.

 

 

Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España

 

Cune:  The brand responsible for Rioja's fame.  Since 1879.

 

Cune wines have been produced every year since the company’s inception, with the ongoing aim of producing a classic Rioja Alta wine: fine, with a long finish.

 

“The first wine produced by the company took its name from the initials CVNE.  A fortuitous misspelling between the U and the V created the iconic Cune brand.”

 

The history of Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España began back in 1879 at this winery in Barrio de la Estación train station in the town of Haro.  Over more than 140 years, the winery has continued to grow around the Aldea del Vino (Wine Village), a sunny courtyard flanked by unique stone buildings with ceramic tile roofs, which has become the central hub of CVNE.

 

The first wine produced by CVNE took the name of the company’s initials.  However, a simple and fortunate spelling error, confusing the V with a U, led to the creation of the iconic Cune brand, now the leading wine on the national market.  The winery expanded its facilities in 2019, coinciding with its 140th anniversary and marking its continued commitment to producing the finest quality white, rosé and gran reserva wines.

 

Vinification takes place in ‘El Pilar’, the first winemaking facility in Spain to use gravity-led processes to transport must in 1989.  CVNE was a pioneer in this concept, which has now been adopted by numerous wineries.