Contino Blanco 2021 is produced at Viñedos del Contino, the ‘château’ of CVNE where the vineyard takes center stage. A wine crafted following the historical Rioja pattern, perfectly reinterpreted so that the fruit does not overpower its carefully considered barrel aging.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
Consumption time
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
10% Garnacha blanca, 90% Viura
Type of barrel
70% of the wine was aged in oak barrels of different capacities
Type of bottle
Burgundy Bottle
Barrel aging time
10 months
Capacity (cl)
75
General Information
From Viñedos del Contino, it is said that they have the best tempranillo vineyards in the world, that they are pioneers in crafting high-expression Rioja reds, and that they are one of the first châteaux in the region. Their venture into the segment of barrel-aged whites stems from the faith of their technical management, once led by Javier Madrazo, who recognized the potential of the white vineyard growing on the estate of the winery.
Thus, in 2006, after crafting an experimental barrel, Contino began paving the way to recover a traditional style that today is experiencing a strong resurgence.
Now, under the guidance of the brilliant winemaker Jorge Navascués Haba, who has absorbed the extensive winemaking tradition that CVNE applies at Contino and brought his broad viticultural vision, we present to you Contino Blanco 2021, an excellent limited-production wine. Its production included, to highlight the potential of viura and white garnacha, the crafting of part of the wine in cement tanks and the remaining 70% in barrels of between 400 and 500 liters, where it aged for 10 months before the final blending.
Creators' opinion
Con Contino Blanco queremos volver a los blancos tradicionales de Rioja; con capacidad de guarda, con equilibrio y con frescura. Un vino en el que no haya maderización excesiva, en el que predomine el carácter floral y frutal; pero con el aporte tánico de la barrica y la grasa del huevo de cemento, que le dotan de estructura y carácter. Compuesto en un 90% por la variedad viura y en un 10% por la garnacha blanca, la viura procede de distintas zonas de Contino dominadas por el aluvial, del antiguo pago del Lentisco, del pedregoso San Gregorio La Tabla y de la finca de Santa María. Todas ellas con edades comprendidas entre los 35 y los 40 años. Por su parte, la garnacha blanca proviene de la parcela San Gregorio Encina plantada en 1980, sobre terrenos arcilloso-calcáreos.
The winery
Viñedos del Contino is the 'boutique' project of CVNE, a centenary firm from Haro that aimed to establish a small winery in the Rioja Alavesa subzone to create wines with their own personality. They found the perfect location at the San Rafael estate (Laserna, in the municipality of Laguardia), with very old vineyards and bordered by the Ebro River; and around this estate, the project began in 1973.
Contino is considered ahead of its time: it was one of the first 'châteaux' in Rioja, with facilities and vineyard on a single property, in a special area with a microclimate. It was also a pioneer in producing estate wines with a modern approach, featuring more intensity and new oak: the cornerstone of what would later be called 'alta expresión' (high expression).
It started with 35 hectares of vineyard, which have expanded to the current 62. The vineyards grow around the winery, located in an old manor house with 16th-century cellars that preserve the wines in optimal temperature and humidity conditions. Its wines are made exclusively with its own vineyards, and it boasts one of the best tempranillo vineyards in Rioja. Contino initially focused solely on red wines but later expanded its portfolio to include white wines. It has viura and malvasía vineyards that are 80 years old, to which it later added plantings of garnacha blanca. Its barrel-aged white wine is among the best in Spain.