Contino Vina del Olivo, Rioja 2015
Spain, RiojaIn Stock - 11 available
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DESCRIPTION
A full bodied but very drinkable vintage of Contino's flagship Rioja.
The lowdown:
Vinedos del Contino, which is part of the CVNE stable, was established in the 1970s as a 'single estate' winery which is relatively unusual in Rioja where many wines are the products of several vineyards. It's a concept that has been pretty successful in the intervening years. Viña del Olivo is Contino's top cuvée and has long been a highly regarded wine. It's made from around 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano with all the fruit coming from their del Olivo vineyard. Fermentation takes place in French Oak following which it is aged in a combination of French, American and Hungarian oak casks over the next 17 months after which it is bottled and aged for a further year before release. It has a very intense nose with a spicy touch and blackberry and red fruit aromas and a hint of balsamic and liquorice richness. On the palate it's really full and quite creamy while the mature tannins hold everything together really well before leading to a long finsh with savoury notes of tobacco and cedar.
When to drink:
Certainly a very complex and rewarding wine that's just coming to maturity. A good partner to grilled and roasted red meat, or strong mature cheeses.
Suitable for Vegetarians
PRODUCER
CVNE

CVNE (usually referred to as 'Coonay'), or to give it its full name, Compañía Vinicola del Norte de España, was established in 1879 in Haro, Rioja. It was set up by two brothers, Eusebio and Raimundo Real de Asúa who had moved to the area from Bilbao and who saw an opportunity to capitalise on the flourishing new trade in wine in this part of Spain.
They are still based in the town of Haro, in the heart of the Rioja wine region, where their bodega sits close to the railway station alongside where some of the other old wineries of Rioja Alta established themselves in order to benefit from the ease of transport via rail to the port of Bilbao, the most efficient form of transport in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
By 1900, the winery had an unusually large, for the time, capacity of 80,000 bottles. Since this was an era when most wineries sold their produces as soon as possible rather than allow it to age and mature.
Throughout the twentieth century they have remained at the forefront of the Rioja wine trade and while now a public listed company they are still run by descendants of the founding family. The company is still controlled by the direct descendants of the founding family. Victor Urrita the current CEO, who has been in charge since 2003 is a fifth generation descendant.
In addition the their winery in Haro they also own, or control two other Rioja bodegas, Vinedos del Contino and Viña Real, alongside Virgen del Galir in Valdeorras and Roger Goulart in Catalonia. The scale of their operations can be appreciated by the fact that they control over 400 hectares of vines in Rioja Alta.
DETAILS
Categories | Wine / Red Wine / Structured, Complex Reds |
Region | Rioja |
Country | Spain |
Grape Variety | Tempranillo , Graciano |
Vintage | 2015 |
Volume | 75cl |
ABV | 14% |
Vegan/Vegetarian | Vegetarian |
SKU | CV0815RN |