Cvne Contino Reserva Rioja 2016: 97pt Rioja At A Great Price!

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From one of the most loved Rioja producers there are.It’s a world-class red rated 97 points. It’s a wine with “so much intensity and power”.And it can be yours for just…$45?!

Only The Vine Post can make it an extreme value. Cune has been racking up some high scores, and rightfully so! CVNE, or Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España is an institution. Die-hard Rioja fans know CVNE wines need time to evolve into their best version. And this Reserva has just hit its peak however, you can lay this down for another 10-15 years as these wines age gracefully for many years.Wine Spectator raves “CVNE has refused to go to extremes, instead taking a measured approach to the struggle between tradition and innovation.” having crowned them with the “#1 Wine of the Year” award in 2013 for the “ability to balance past and future in such delicious harmony.” The Reserva is just hitting its stride. Aged in both used French and American oak, the wine produced stunning aromatics of dark ripe cherries, cranberry, pomegranate espresso, and tobacco. Silky tannins coat your mouth and the finish builds up the earthy side with dried herbs and mushrooms competing over lively berries, all lingering symphonically. A kiss of exotic spices calls for dishes that are similarly ethnic, like a lamb tagine with couscous.Scoop up what you can as this will sell out!97 Points – James Suckling“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.”95 Points – Tim Atkin MW“This was the last vintage made by the legendary Jesús Madrazo and he certainly left the bodega on a high note, as this is an excellent, very well-balanced Contino: floral, spicy and lightly Mediterranean with fine oak, fresh tobacco and red berry notes and a seamless blend between Tempranillo and 15% Graciano and Mazuelo.”94+ Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate“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. Drink 2020-2030.”