Ask Andy about this wine

Spain / Aragon

The C.V.N.E winery and headquarters have been at the Cune site in Haro since 1879. C.V.N.E., or to give it its full name, Compañía Vinicola del Norte de España (The Northern Spanish Wine Company) was established in 1879 in Haro, Rioja. Set up by two brothers, Eusebio and Raimundo Real de Asúa, their aim was to capitalise on the flourishing new trade in wine. C.V.N.E. is still controlled by the direct descendants of the founding family, now in its fifth generation. C.V.N.E. farms half of its grape crush. The remainder is purchased from long term growers. With three wineries in the region; Cune, Viña Real and Contino the winemakers have control over quality from vineyard to bottle.

Michael Schachner, Wine Enthusiast, January 2019: 97/100 pts “This is a fabulous gran reserva from a very good but lightly heralded vintage. Aromas of spiced plum, black olive, fig, tobacco and cassis come together like a puzzle. A deep, pure palate shows near-perfect balance, while this tastes of plum, berry fruits and earthy spice. Smooth, elegant and chocolaty on the finish, this delivers all one can ask for from Rioja. Drink through 2035.”

Tim Atkin MW: 96/100 pts “… this is the latest in a series of brilliant Imperial Gran Reservas: serious, dense and showing old vine concentration, with sweet liquorice, blackberry and bramble flavours, a lick of oak and chalky intensity.”

Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate (235)@ 93+/100 pts “I’m always looking forward to tasting CVNE’s Gran Reserva bottlings, especially the 2011 Imperial Gran Reserva, as the year was highly praised, and I was very curious to see how it behaved. It’s a classical blend of Tempranillo with 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo that matured in barrel for two years. It has good depth and complexity in the nose, nicely layered, very balsamic and tertiary. It feels elegant and harmonious. The palate is surprisingly fresh and vibrant, with finesse, freshness, fine and mostly resolved tannins and a fine thread of acidity that holds and lifts up the finish. 50,000 bottles were filled in June 2014.”