Contino draws on some of the best vineyards in the Rioja Alavesa for its much-desired range of wines. As a sample, here we have Contino Gran Reserva 2016.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
15% Graciano, 5% Garnacha tinta, 70% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo
Type of barrel
French (70%) and American (30%) oak Bordeaux casks
Type of bottle
Bordeaux
Barrel aging time
36 months, and 24 months more in bottle
Capacity (cl)
75
Total acidity (g/l)
6.4
Volatile acidity (g/l)
0.59
pH
3.5
Alcohol content (% vol.)
13.92
General Information
Contino Gran Reserva 2016 is an absolute jewel with limited production; a true masterpiece, produced in the D.O.Ca. Rioja by Viñedos del Contino, not to be missed. Obtained exclusively from the fruit of the stony soils of the Contino Reserva plots, in its own vineyard located at a bend in the Ebro River, in La Serna (Laguardia), this long-aged red wine aspires to surpass the heights of acidity, concentration and ripeness.
The grapes used to make Contino Gran Reserva 2016, from the Finca San Rafael estate, were selected and harvested by hand and after a second selection on tables, they were destemmed and then fermented in concrete tanks at a controlled temperature of 15-20ºC. Fermentation maceration was two weeks, followed by malolactic fermentation. The wine was then racked into used French and American oak barrels and aged for 36 months, followed by a further 24 months in the winery cellars.
Viñedos del Contino is one of the most important Spanish wine companies.; a pioneering firm that dates back to 1973, when the Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE) decided to make a decisive commitment to the ideal combination of native vineyards, a continental climate with a significant Atlantic influence, the most suitable soils in Rioja Alavesa and avant-garde oenology. To create this complex vine-growing network, the owners of the legendary winery, located in the Barrio de la Estación in Haro, chose a much-favoured plot in the municipality of Laserna, at the foot of the Roman Mantibres Bridges and protected by the Cerro de la Mesa hill. There, the Riojan firm designed modern facilities, while preserving the old 16th century cellars of the original construction, ideal for ageing and settling their wines.
Tasting notes
A beautiful cherry red colour, lively and bright.
Great depth and complexity of aromas, where black fruits stand out, combining with notes of wild flowers and echoes of ripe fruit.
In the mouth it’s tasty and full-bodied, with a good structure and excellent soft tannins that give it a rounded and expressive finish and showing perfect acidity and long and complex persistence on that finish.
Creators' opinion
The 62 hectares of Viñedos del Contino are located on alluvial soils, with sandy loam and limestone soils on the lower layers, and sandy clay soils with a medium and high stony structure (boulder) on middle and surface layers. These soils lead to great permeability and variable capacity for water retention. The characteristics of the land, combined with the specific microclimate of the estate, lead to a vineyard with a low yield of around 5,000kg/ha. The grapes for producing the Gran Reserva come from vines over 60 years old.
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.