Imperial Rioja Reserva 2017

C.V.N.E.

Imperial Rioja Reserva
2017

  • Vegan
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 5 %
Colour
Red
Sugar
Dry
Sugar content
2,3 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

Production notes

Aging for 24 months in French and American oak barrels (new and used) and then 24 months in bottle.

Tasting notes

Dark color with bright red reflections. Aromas of berries, liquorice, cloves, rosemary, thyme and tobacco. Elegant wine, with silky tannins which provide roundness and freshness. Pairings with meats, grilled meats and game.

Press reviews

James Suckling

- 96 points -

James Suckling, September 2020 (Vintage 2016)

Extremely floral and attractive with crushed lavender, rosemary and violets to the blue fruit. Full body. Tight and integrated tannins and a lightly chewy finish. Shows depth and structure. One of the best from here in a long time. Drink in 2021, but already attention grabbing.

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Vinous

- 94 points -

Josh Raynolds, April 2021 (Vintage 2016)

Deep, brilliant ruby. Cherry, cassis, vanilla and incense on the expansive nose, where a zesty mineral note adds vibrancy. Sappy and precise on the palate, offering sweet dark berry, cherry liqueur and violet pastille flavors along with hints of mocha and spicecake. Rich and ample in style but shows superb energy as well. Finishes sweet, seamless and extremely long, with lingering florality and polished, fully integrated tannins.

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 Wine Enthusiast

- 94 points -

Mike DeSimone, 1 (Vintage 2018)

This deeply hued wine offers a bouquet of dark plum, black currant and aniseed. It is spicy at first sip, with flavors of clove, anisette, blackberry and cassis. Polished tannins make their presence known and then drift off into a cherry and violet finish.

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Wine Advocate

- 94 points -

Luis Gutiérrez, July 2022 (Vintage 2018)

The red 2018 Imperial Reserva keeps the brand profile of finesse, precision and power, produced with grapes that were picked between October 8th and 26th in a year like in the past—cold, rain and snow followed by a warm summer. It's a blend of Tempranillo and 15% Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha that were put through optical sorting and fermented in oak vats with a 20-day maceration. It matured in barrel for 24 months. It's 14% alcohol and has a pH of 3.57. It's a textbook Reserva from Haro, fine-tuning the grapes they use here trying to control the power of this cuvée, which has to be powerful but keeping the freshness. This is quite young and lively, quite impressive, really very good, getting close to the complexity of a Gran Reserva but with the extra oomph of its youth. 150,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2021.

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Vinous

- 93 points -

Josh Raynolds, June 2021 (Vintage 2017)

One of Rioja’s most well-known, oldest and largest bodegas, CVNE was founded in 1879 in Haro. Today the property owns over 500 hectares of vines. Over the past decade the quality of these traditionally made wines has been on a steady rise. Today I would count CVNE among the region’s top producers, up and down the range. The entry-level Cune bottlings deliver excellent value in quantity. The top-end Imperial bottlings are made from a 28-hectare vineyard in Rioja Alta. These wines have established an enviable track record for long aging. Bottles of the legendary 1968 Gran Reserva are still going strong, with what seems to be years of life ahead. Both American and French oak barrels are used here, with an emphasis on American.

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Wine Spectator

- 91 points -

Alison Napjus, May 2022 (Vintage 2017)

A fresh and elegant red, which deftly knits sinewy tannins with roasted black plum, graphite and black cherry flavors and savory accents of beef bouillon, smoke and tobacco. Lingering and chewy finish. Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha. Drink now through 2027. 12,500 cases made, 1,500 cases imported.

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