The classically composed 2017
It is one of the great Rioja Gran Reservas, only made in the best vintages, and built to last. It is named after the format in which it was originally brought to the British market in the 1920s, the Imperial pint, and since that beginning it has become a much-loved icon of Spanish and international tables. It was the first ever Spanish wine to be named World's Best by the Wine Spectator, for the 2004 vintage. It is CVNE's Imperial.
CVNE is short for Compañía Vinicola del Norte de España (Northern Spanish Wine Company), but it has been affectionately known by generations of Spaniards as 'Cooney'. Imperial has a winery all its own, folded inside the original CVNE facility in Haro; the barrel cellar was designed by Gustave Eiffel, he of the tower. CVNE select fruit from the best-performing plots in their Rioja Alta vineyards in the vintages they make it; in 2017, the winning plots Remedio and Encinas were both old bush-vine plots in the lee of the Sierra de Toloña. A combination of frost and drought led to a small harvest of high-quality, concentrated grapes; the counterpoint of hot summer days and cool nights imbued the wine with a welcome freshness.
The blend in 2017 Imperial is 85% Tempranillo (for structure and primary red fruit character), 10% Graciano (perfume and spice), and 5% Mazuelo (a.k.a. Carignan, extra body, acidity, colour). It was fermented in old French oak vats, then aged for two years in a mix of French (70%) and American (30%) oak barrels (some new, some one-year-old). That mix of oak origin is reflected in the wine, with the dusty char from the French oak complemented by sweeter notes of vanilla and clove from the American oak. The fruit profile ranges from cherry and orange to darker sloe notes. The tannins are still tight and wound, but very smooth; the line of acidity defines a wine with a long future. /NT
'A very structured and gorgeous Rioja with blackberry, cherry, cedar and spice aromas and flavors. Hints of toasted oak underneath. Granite, too. Medium-bodied, yet the structure builds on the palate, giving superb length and power. Give it three to five years to come together, and beyond.' - 97 points, James Suckling, April 2023
Offered subject to remaining unsold, available Spring 2024
