Contino Rioja Reserva 2019

C.V.N.E.

Contino Rioja Reserva
2019

Country
Spain
Regulated designation
Denominación de origen calificada (DOCa)
Region
La Rioja
Subregion
Alavesa
Appellation
Rioja
Classification
Reserva
Varietal(s)
Tempranillo 85 %
Graciano 10 %
Mazuelo 3 %
Grenache 2 %
Colour
Red
Sugar
Dry
Sugar content
1,7 g/l
Producer's website

About this winery

Founded in 1879 by the brothers Eusebio and Raimundo Real de Asua, the Compañia Vinicola del Norte de España is one of the oldest estates in La Rioja. C.V.N.E. is located in Haro, in the traditional wine trade district, next to the train station. In this period when transport was not very advanced, there was a definite advantage in locating your cellar very close to a train station! By 1900, this company had more than 80,000 bottles intended for prolonged aging, which was rare at that time...

See the C.V.N.E. detail page for more information on this brand

Product notes

Monarchs granted the title Contino to senior officers of the royal family guard.

Production notes

Aged for two years in oak barrels, 40% American and 60% French, then the wine finished aging in the bottle for 3 years.

Tasting notes

Dark garnet colour. Scents of ripe red fruits, balsamic and spicy floral notes. Tannins and ripe fruit with a silky finish, revealing the real and personal character that defines Contino: elegance and balance. Pairings with red meats, burgers and game.

Press reviews

James Suckling

- 97 points -

James Suckling, September 2020 (Vintage 2016)

This is so powerful and tightly wound with so much intensity and power. Full body. Crushed berries and hints of walnuts and cedar. Purity in fruit. Very subtle character, but great tension and richness. Drink after 2021.

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James Suckling

- 97 points -

James Suckling, May 2023 (Vintage 2019)

Violet, strawberry, raspberry and orange-peel aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, with minerality and brightness. Vivid. A wonderful change here. Energy. So much purity. Drink or hold.

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James Suckling

- 96 points -

James Suckling, May 2026 (Vintage 2010)

Lots of plum character, chocolate, bay leaves and rosemary on the nose. Iodine, too. Full body and lots of concentration, yet this also delivers amazing freshness and balance. Ultra-fine tannins. Finish is very long, flavorful and wonderfully polished. This is all about refinement in combination with power. Drink or hold.

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James Suckling

- 95 points -

James Suckling, January 2022 (Vintage 2017)

Aromas of chocolate, smoked meat and berries. Really perfumed and subtle. The palate is full-bodied with ripe, creamy tannins that show tension and poise. Mellow and fine. So silky and brilliant. Complex. Polished. Drink now or hold.

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Guia Penin

- 92 points -

June 2022 (Vintage 2018)

Colour: light cherry, garnet rim;Aroma: elegant, fine reductive notes, aged wood nuances, spicy;Flavour: fine tannins, fine bitter notes;

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Vinous

- 92 points -

Josh Raynolds, April 2021 (Vintage 2017)

Inky ruby. Spice-accented dark berry and cherry aromas are complemented by floral, vanilla and smoky mineral flourishes. Appealingly sweet and fleshy in the mouth, offering juicy blackberry, cherry cola and baking spice flavors that firm up on the back half. Finishes pliant and long, with repeating floral and spice notes and even tannins that add shape and gentle grip.

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Guia Penin

- 92 points -

July 2016 (Vintage 2010)

Colour: Cherry, garnet rim;Aroma: balsamic herbs, fine reductive notes, ripe fruit, cocoa bean;Flavour: flavourful, full-bodied, spicy, ripe fruit, fine tannins, long, elegant;

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Wine Advocate

- 92 points -

Luis Gutiérrez, July 2022 (Vintage 2019)

The grapes for the 2019 Reserva were picked earlier than in 2018, and they achieved lower alcohol in a warmer vintage. The wine is 13.89% alcohol, but picking early and with a shorter cycle in a hurried ripeness also means less aroma and flavor development. The warmer year delivered a higher pH, and the wine comes through as a little softer and with riper flavors. There are 313,666 bottles and 3,500 magnums of this. It was bottled in March 2022, after 18 months in barrel.

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 Wine Enthusiast

- 90 points -

Michael Schachner, April 2017 (Vintage 2010)

Earthy notes of plum and berry include a touch of leafy herbs. This is crisp, elegant and slightly tomatoey in feel, with dry herbal plum and berry flavors that end fresh and savory. There's nothing over the top about this classic Rioja. Drink through 2024.

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Wine Advocate

94+

Luis Gutiérrez, October 2020 (Vintage 2016)

The renewed classical red 2016 Reserva was produced as a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo. It fermented in small stainless steel and concrete vats and matured in 225-liter French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels for 18 months. It has a very expressive nose, open, aromatic and showy, a little Rhône-ish. 2016 was a cooler year and they had a long harvest, and it seems like the fruit ripened thoroughly without excess. It's a natural continuation of the 2015, when the wine already had more freshness and better integrated oak. It has a full body and some dusty tannins, finishing dry and tasty. It's ready to drink. There were 281,389 bottles and 3,000 magnums produced. It was bottled in May 2019.

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