Imperial Rioja Reserva 2018

C.V.N.E.

Imperial Rioja Reserva
2018

  • Vegan

$43.00

* Retail price including taxes and service fees if applicable
Service fees
$ 0.10
Product code
12897863
Format
12 x 750ml
Listing type
SAQ Specialty by lot
Status
Available
Type of product
Still wine
Licensee price
$37.23
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
Closure type
Cork
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

Proud of its 1st position in the prestigious Top 100 Wine Spectator of 2013.

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

 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.

See detailed press review
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.

See detailed press review