Viñedos del Contino Reserva Alavesa Rioja 2018 (750ml)

 

Rated 95 Points by James Suckling

 

Black cherries with cedar and dried flowers, as well as dusty earth.  It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm tannins that are long and polished.  Lots of structure.  Very typical and focused.  Drinkable now, but better in 2024.

 

Rated 94 Points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

I tasted two vintages of the estate red that represents the blend and the character of the place.  The 2018 Reserva comes from a cooler year and is a blend of 86% Tempranillo, 6% Mazuelo, 6% Graciano and 2% Garnacha with 14.12% alcohol and a pH of 3.48.  The grapes ripened thoroughly and the wine is tasty but has a vibrant palate with freshness and depth.  It has a classical nose and is complex and spicy with an earthy touch, a little developed and with fine-grained tannins.  Very tasty.  It spent 18 months in oak barrels, 90% of them French and 10% American; they are reducing the amount of American oak in this wine.

 

Rated 91 Points by Wine Spectator

 

A medium-bodied red, round and creamy, with supple tannins and citrusy acidity providing definition for appealing flavors of pureed black cherry and boysenberry fruit.  Offers accents of mocha, violet and star anise, with savory hints of tobacco and mineral showing on the finish.  Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Graciano.  Drink now through 2028.

 

Viñedos del Contino Reserva Alavesa Rioja 2018

 

Pioneer of single estate wines in Rioja, Viñedos del Contino only makes wine from hand selected grapes of our 153 acres vineyard.  Aged in oak and then in bottle, it shows the unique terroir characteristics of this outstanding natural site.

 

Winery:  Viñedos del Contino

 

Region of Production:  Rioja

 

Vintage:  2018

 

Viñedos del Contino wines are internationally renowned for their fruity, modern and elegant character, heirs to the finest Rioja tradition.

 

“Contino, the first "chateau" in Rioja, was first produced in 1973.  Its wines are produced exclusively from the vineyards situated on its 62-hectare estate.  The Contino vineyard surrounds an old manor house built on a meander of the Ebro River in Laserna, a small village in the municipality of Laguardia in the Rioja Alavesa region”

 

For Contino, nothing is more modern than a renewed classic.  The Contino Reserva is an excellent example of this philosophy.  Produced from a variety of micro-vineyards in the area surrounding Viñedos del Contino with distinct soil types (alluvial, clay-limestone, saline and sandy).   In constant search of the perfect harmony between vineyards situated in the privileged environment of Viñedos del Contino.

 

Fermentation in small stainless steel and concrete tanks, enabling us to produce individual wines from each micro-vineyard according to optimum harvesting conditions.

 

Composition:  86% Tempranillo  16% Graciano  6% Mazuelo 2% Garnacha

 

Alcohol:  14%

 

 

Viñedos del Contino

 

Viñedos del Contino was founded in 1973, becoming the first Rioja chateau concept winery.  The former manor house in Laserna, in the municipality of Laguardia, is surrounded by 62 hectares of vineyards from which all its wines are sourced along a bend of the river Ebro.  Its 16th-century cave cellars are amongst the oldest in the Rioja region.  They are home to the echoes of deeply rooted winemaking tradition, blended with the voices of cutting-edge technologies.

 

The history of the house dates back to the 16th century and is reflected in the winery’s name.  The officer in charge of the one hundred soldiers who watched over the royal family continuously (or ‘de continuo’ in Spanish), from the Catholic Monarchs era onwards, was known as the ‘contino’.  Its rich history also tells how Saint Gregory (the patron saint of vineyards) once passed through this Riojan estate, which is why his figure appears on the winery’s logo, and some of the vineyard’s plots bear his name.

 

The 62 hectares of vineyards are divided into individual plots, all of which are harvested and cultivated separately.  This allows for the best understanding of each plot and wines that reflect their own unique characteristics.

 

CVNE

 

CVNE, Compañía Vinícola del Norte del España (the Northern Spanish Wine Company), was founded in 1879 in the town of Haro in Rioja.  CVNE was founded by two brothers and today is still controlled by the direct descendants of the founding family.  Since its inception, CVNE has been focused on the production and aging of wines and now comprises of four wineries: CVNE, Imperial, Vina Real and Contino.

 

 

Rated 91 Points by Wine Spectator

 

A medium-bodied red, round and creamy, with supple tannins and citrusy acidity providing definition for appealing flavors of pureed black cherry and boysenberry fruit.  Offers accents of mocha, violet and star anise, with savory hints of tobacco and mineral showing on the finish.  Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Graciano.  Drink now through 2028.