Rioja
This red wine is from a well known Bodegas in Haro called CUNE
or CVNE. CVNE (Compañía Vinícola del
Norte de España) has multiple Rioja wines that they
produce, but Contino is a single estate comprised of 62 hectares in a 200-year
old farmhouse located on the outskirts of the town Laguardia. The Contino
name derives from the royal guard of a hundred who protected the monarch.
The estate was created in 1974 under the direction of Jesús Madrazo (his son,
with the same name, now runs the operations). I enjoyed a bottle of the 1980
Bodegas y Viñedos del Contino Rioja Reserva while at a restaurant in San
Sebastián, Spain last year. It came highly recommended by the sommelier
and upon arriving back in the States I found it rather difficult to source.
On the nose: Rusted bicycle spoke smell. The color is
otherworldly, would think this color would be found on the surface of Mars or
something. Reddish/Brown glow. Smells amazing. Cornucopia of
vegetables, you name it, it’s in there. Old leather saddle and some
sandalwood.
Palate: Goetze's
Caramel Creams®. This wine has great provenance. If I had to guess
I would say the restaurant, Arzak, bought this from the vineyard back in the
early 80’s and probably perfectly stored a couple cases in the
basement. Truly breathtaking. Exciting experience for me as I was
aware of the merits of Rioja, but this blasted a spotlight right on it and made
me understand that Rioja is a true treasure.
Rating Scale (out of 5 +):
+++++
(Perfect Score)
No comments:
Post a Comment