Wine in Black 'rioja te quiero'-pakket

Al vijf generaties runt de oprichtersfamilie het beroemde Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España. Ze hebben altijd slim geïnvesteerd en van Cune een van de belangrijkste wijnhuizen van Spanje gemaakt – met wijnen zoals deze gran reserva, die traditie en moderniteit verenigt.

Spices, chocolate, vanilla and lots of vibrant, youthful plums, cherries and berries. A medium-bodied, very approachable Rioja with juicy fruit and fine tannins that make you want to drink a bottle. Such a pleasing, well-made and youthful gran reserva.

The 2018 Gran Reserva Cune is 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo from Rioja Alta, aged up to 24 months in American and French oak barrels. Aromas of plum and blackberry intermingle with herbal and oaky notes. Dry, creamy and chalky on the palate, it offers a fairly compact mouthfeel. This red wine presents a modern twist on the fruit-forward style, resembling more of a New World red than a classic Rioja

The 2018 Cune Gran Reserva was produced with grapes picked between the 8th and 26th of October, quite late into the season, reflecting a cooler year with frost and snow and a mild summer. The vegetative cycle was long, 180 days, and the final blend was 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo or Cariñena, mostly from their 70 hectares in Torremontalbo. The grapes fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and concrete after a 24-hour cold soak, and the wine matured in French and American oak barrels for 24 months. They bottled the wine with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.6 and 5.76 grams of acidity. It has spicy notes from the oak, vanilla and coconut, and is aromatic and expressive, clean, with a classic Gran Reserve profile.

Álvaro Palacios behoorde ooit tot een kleine groep pioniers die Priorat herontdekte in de jaren 90 van de vorige eeuw. Nadat zijn wijnen wereldfaam hadden verworven, vroeg zijn familie uit Rioja of hij het familiewijnhuis daar wilde overnemen. De resultaten spreken voor zich.

Sumptuous aromas of plump cherries, leading into equally succulent fruits on the palate. Fresh acidity arrives lightly, and then grows, leading to a long taut finish, with the sligh echo of oak. Very young now, it will give much pleasure as it matures. A fine achievement: 100ha of certified organic vineyard, producing wines in quantity (some 500,000 bottles) and quality. Over the years Alvaro Palacios has transformed this from a 50% Tempranillo vineyard to firmly Garnacha-dominant, with a shift towards bush vines from double cordon. 95% Garnacha with 5% other traditional red varieties.

I had not yet tasted the 2021 La Montesa, and I'm glad I did. Álvaro Palacios was super proud of this vintage, and he told me that "many people consider it at the level of a very good Burgundy village at a fraction of the price!" It is indeed a great value, even more so in an exceptional year like 2021. But it was unmistakably Garnacha, with notes of garrigue and aromatic herbs, red cherries and flowers. It fermented with 20% full clusters in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in barrel for 12 months. It's clean and precise, with a lace texture, very fine tannins, flavors of red berries and herbs and a long, tasty, chalky finish. It has to be one of the finest vintages of Montesa to date. It has 14.3% alcohol, a pH of 3.5 and 5.3 grams of acidity. It's not a small cuvée; they produced 592,372 bottles! It was bottled in March 2023.

Beautiful berry-fruit purity with dark raspberries, pomegranate, some moss and subtle mineral and spices. Expressive and crunchy on the firm, medium-bodied palate with succulent berries and minerals. Pure and pithy finish. Drink or hold.

Een gran reserva met een indrukwekkende balans: traditie en elegantie komen hier op perfecte wijze samen. Een rioja die nu al overtuigt en nog ontwikkelingspotentieel heeft – een aanwinst voor elke wijnkelder.

Complex aromatics of mixed plums, fig, and anise, orange zest and spices flow into a silken palate and a lingering finish with the approachability to enjoy now, or to hold for several more years in cellar.

Berries and walnuts with some mushroom and bark on the nose. Full-bodied with round, juicy tannins and toffee, berry and chocolate in the aftertaste. 100% tempranillo. Drink now or hold.