New Release: C.V.N.E. Imperial Gran Reserva 2019

Riojanos are very generous winemakers. Instead of asking you to buy their wines before they are bottled, they age them for you in their fortress like cellars for up to a decade. Using a mix of large oak vats, smaller oak barrels and then plenty of time in bottle, they wait, until their wines are perfectly ready to drink, while still maintaining plenty of ageing potential.

As one of the bastions of Rioja, CVNE, and their flagship wine, Imperial Gran Reserva offer a very different style to their neighbours in Haro. Less reliant on new and American oak - they use 80% new and second fill French barriques and just 20% American oak. This offers a more fruit driven profile, which, with age, develops wonderfully nuanced notes of bramble fruits, worn leather, sous bois and roast lamb jus. 2019 is a stellar vintage in the region and this Imperial Gran Reserva befits the storied Rioja house.

This imperious cuvee is made from gnarled bush vine Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo grapes, which were planted on Villalba’s high slopes in Rioja Alta in the 70s and 80s. The grapes, once optical sorted, pressed and fermented, age for 6 years in total, half in oak and half in bottle. The 2019 demonstrates a powerful core of blackcurrant, blackberry and plum fruit, interlaced with spicy liquorice, clove, and cigar leaf. Cracked fennel seed, dried thyme and rosemary scents reverberate on the mid palate and just the faintest hum of grilled meat jus and damp earth appear on the majestically long finish. This supreme wine will pair perfectly with spring lamb if you can hold out that long.

“2019 was a warm and classical year of healthy grapes, and the 2019 Imperial Gran Reserva is a powerful version only produced in exceptional years. Produced with a blend of Tempranillo with 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, it fermented in oak vats with their own selected yeasts, and the wine matured for two years in new and used barriques, 80% of them French and the rest American. It has a classical nose, with notes of dry leaves, truffle, cigar ash and dark spices and a touch of iodine and earth. It comes in at 14% alcohol, with a pH of 3.63 and 5.67 grams of acidity. It's harmonious and balanced, with elegant, polished and sleek tannins. 56,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2022.” 95 Points, Luiz Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate (Tasted Feb 2025). Drink 2025-2040

“The 2019 Gran Reserva Imperial is a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo. Following malolactic fermentation in concrete vats, it aged for two years in 225-liter French (70%) and American (30%) oak barrels—both new and second use. It underwent rackings every eight months, before extended aging in century-old cellars. This opens with ripe black fruit and plum aromas, framed by well-integrated oak and subtle herbal notes. It displays a delicate style in the mouth, with fine, chalky tannins and a hint of dried herbs on the finish. The 2019 is a refined, flavorful red in a thoroughly classic Rioja tone.” 95 Points, Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous.com (Tasted May 2025). Drink 2025-2039