Rioja is famed for blending different parcels and grape varieties to create delicious, consistent, age worthy wines. Therefore, a single vineyard Rioja made solely from 30-year-old Tempranillo vines is somewhat anomalous, but worthy of further exploration. Real de Asúa was an experimental concept born in 1994 as a dedication to the Real de Asúa brothers, who founded the winery. Over time it has been condensed to a single 2.37 hectare plot called Carromaza (now stated on the label). Unlike quintessential Rioja this is all about amazing quality fruit and freshness. It is a portrait of terroir, and a ringing endorsement of where and how the fruit is grown. Carromaza is situated in Rioja Alta in the village of Villalba. This south facing vineyard lies at an altitude of 555 metres and is heavily influenced by the Atlantic. Strong winds require the vines to be trellised, and the vineyard can be affected by spring frosts. However, its location in the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria Mountain range provides essential protection from these climatic factors. To further contravene Rioja conventions, the wine ferments and undergoes malolactic fermentation in 225L French barriques using wild indigenous yeast. Moreover, once racked it spends much less time ageing, just 12 months in new and second fill barrels, before judicious bottle ageing. The 2019 was bottled in February 2022. To release at its pinnacle, CVNE has refrained from giving it a traditional age statement. A wine that demonstrates immense restraint, the fruit character is elemental and precocious, showing lashings of cherry, luscious floral aromas, rugged wild herbs and delicate hints of oak spice. It finishes with a creamy smooth texture and lithe tannins. If you could bottle purity and grace, it may well be adorned with a wax seal and have Carromaza stamped on the label.
Read More"A full-bodied, ripe and delicious red with firm, lightly chewy tannins. Lots of cherries, dried flowers, coconut and rosemary. Lavender and white roses, too. Firm and very well structured. Tight and fresh at the end. First year with single vineyard on the label. 100% tempranillo. Try this after 2025. 97/100" James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com
"Light and deft extraction, fine tannins that highlight the precision of the sculpted raspberry and red cherry fruits. This is fairly savoury compared to many Rioja wines, fragrant with waves of raspberry leaf, rose petal, freshly cut herbs, liquorice bud, leather, clove spices and a mouthwatering finish. From this vintage, Real de Asúa has a new label, wax seal, Carromaza plot clearly stated. No longer seen as an experimental wine, flexing its own identity within the CVNE range, highlighting the potential of this 2.37ha plot of 30 year old Tempranillo vines sat at a windy 550m altitude in Villalba. Give three to five years to fully soften into its structure. Again 12 rather than 18 months ageing in oak barrels, following on from the 2018, but here back to 100% new oak. 3.65ph. 96/100" Jane Anson, Janeanson.com
"The modern 2019 Real de Asúa has been produced since 2018 with grapes from a paraje in the village of Villalba called Carromaza (now mentioned on the label) on sandy, south-facing soils that were harvested between the 8th and 9th of October. 2019 was a low-yielding year with loose and small bunches that ripened thoroughly delivering wines that are balanced and have aging potential. It's 14.5% alcohol and has mellow acidity and good freshness and balance. It fermented in small oak vats with indigenous yeasts followed by malolactic in new French oak barrels and then matured in new and second use French barriques for 12 months. The wine is very impressive, showy, clean and harmonious, without any noticeable oak, juicy, harmonious, young, fresh and elegant. It has concentration, power and finesse. It has a new label and bottle and a much more modern image but with the essence form the past. The wine has improved a lot, and it has grip and very fine tannins. Very impressive. It has the naked essence of Rioja without the layers and layers of oak, now from a single vineyard where they want freshness and a lush but floral and delicate profile you have to drink effortlessly. Superb. 10,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2022. 96/100" Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate