This week, CVNE, a benchmark name in Rioja, has released the latest 2018 vintage of 'Vina Real', one of the best value Gran Reservas from any of the famous bodegas. The 2018 is rated an 'Especial' by CVNE, a term reserved for the best vintages. Scoring 95 points from Suckling and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, at under £22 per bottle in bond, it is around half the price of their 'Imperial' Gran Reserva. Vina Real is also available in magnums, double magnums, and jeroboams.
CVNE was established in the famous 'Barrio de la Estacion' (Station District) of Haro in Rioja Alta in 1879, just a few hundred metres from the bodega of La Rioja Alta. Short for Compania Vinicola del Norte de Espana, the labels for the inaugural vintage were mis-spelt 'CUNE' and the bodega's name has been pronounced 'Coo-nay' ever since.
Vina Real is a blend of 95% Tempranillo and 5% Garnacha, aged for 24 months in French and American oak barrels. In contrast to CVNE's Imperial Gran Reserva, the style is more traditional and 'oaky', but with a similar intensity and quality of underlying fruit, one of many ways in which Vina Real over-delivers relative to its price.
The growing season in Rioja 2018 began with a dry autumn, dragging out one of the worst droughts in recent years, but when winter arrived it brought much-needed rain, cold weather, frosts and snowfalls which were all common years ago. The spring which followed was cold and wet but succeeded by a warm summer. Bearing in mind that this was a wet year, the harvest was very selective and the red wines in general, although showing slightly less concentration and colour than we have been used to seeing in recent years, are still rich, intense, and have good levels of fresh acidity. These are wines with good ageing potential and are, in short, of excellent quality.
The large formats are in limited availability, so please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to add some to your cellar.
Please simply e-mail us to place your order.
Offered pre-landing, available from bond March 2026.
| RED | 2018 | 5 cases | CVNE - Imperial Gran Reserva Rioja | 75cl | £240 per case of 6 | CVNE Imperial Gran Reserva Rioja 2018 / 5 cases / 75cl £240 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes“The 2018 Imperial Gran Reserva was cropped from a year with the weather from yesteryear, a cold winter with frost, snow and abundant rain, a cool spring and mild summer that resulted in a long vegetative cycle of 180 days and a late harvest between October 8th and 26th. It has similar parameters to the 2017 I tasted next to it, with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.55 and 6.03 grams of acidity, but it shows fresher. It feels very complete, fresh and vibrant, with more depth and tannin. It's still quite young and should develop nicely in bottle with that extra kick from the cooler year. It was a smaller crop, and they produced 56,000 bottles. It was bottled in July 2021. Drink 2025-2038. 95+ points”. Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate, Feb'24------"Fresh blackberries, plums, smoked spices, graphite and cocoa powder. So juicy and firm, with fresh, abundant tannins coming from the fruit and spicy oak, but all woven in a fine-grained form, which clearly shows aging potential. Medium- to full-bodied with a very long finish. Try after 2026. 96 points." James Suckling, Aug '24 |
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