|
|
|
|
|
2018 Vina del Olivo, Rioja
60 Bot @ £275 per 6 Bot Case, in bond
£346.07 duty & VAT paid
6 Mag @ £315 per 3 Mag Case, in bond
1 x 3ltr @ £245, in bond
1 x 6ltr @ £550, in bond
The 2018 Viña del Olivo comes from a plot planted in 1980 that has different soils from the rest of the property, which is mostly alluvial. Here, the soils are composed of clay and limestone. It's 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, which fermented in 1,000-liter French oak vats followed by 16 months in barrel and a further three months in oak vats. This is raw and young, but it's already been released because the wine sells like hot cakes. It's marked by the toasted barrels and has all the baby fat it needs to be rendered invisible with time in bottle. It has very good freshness and round and sophisticated tannins with purity of fruit and finesse. 2023-2034
95 points Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate
The top wine from the Contino estate comes from a parcel surrounding a 700-year-old olive tree and was planted in 1980. Made from a mix of Tempranillo with 15% Graciano and Mazuelo, it’s perfumed, herbal, succulent and rich, with a combination of intensity and underlying balance, appealingly framed by oak. Still young, but this has the focus and density to age well in bottle.
95 points Tim Atkin MW
|
|
|
|
2018 Garnacha, Rioja
60 Bot @ £98 per 6 Bot Case, in bond
£133.67 duty & VAT paid
The 2018 Garnacha was produced with grapes from three plots: Pajera, planted in 1980 on limestone-rich soils; the alluvial Central, planted in 1950; and Lentisco, a stony plot planted in 1940. The grapes fermented together in an oak vat and matured in a 2,000-liter Stockinger foudre and some eight 500-liter oak barrels, where it matured for 10 months. Welcome to Châteauneuf-du-Ebro! This is ripe, heady and powerful, very much in the Southern Rhône style, now in a Burgundy bottle. It's round and lush (even if it's "only" 14% alcohol) and in a style that you might like more or less, but I think it represents the place. It has a round and lush palate with abundant, fine-grained tannins and a dry finish. 2020-2025
93 points Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate
Contino is quite a warm, early ripening site, so it’s no surprise that it can regularly ripen Garnacha. Fermented with 20% whole bunches for the first time, this has dialled back on the oak since the 2017 vintage and has attractive bramble and red fruit sweetness, bright acidity and filigree tannins.
95 points Tim Atkin MW
|
|
|
|
2018 Blanco, Rioja
60 Bot @ £98 per 6 Bot Case, in bond
£133.67 duty & VAT paid
The white 2018 Blanco wants to go to the traditional style of Rioja, with aging potential and balance. It's 90% Viura and 10% Garnacha Blanca with 12.62% alcohol and a pH of 3.2, so quite fresh and with moderate alcohol reflecting the cooler vintage. It fermented in stainless steel and two concrete eggs and matured in 400- and 500-liter barriques but with 30% of the volume kept unoaked in concrete. Making a white has always been a challenge at Contino because the place is warm, and I think this 2018 is the finest white produced at the property since they started with something almost experimental in 2004. There are white grapes spread throughout the property, and for this wine, they used mostly grapes from a plot that has some of the oldest vines. 2018 is a cooler year, and the wine has a lot less oak than in previous vintages. Also, to keep some extra freshness, it didn't go through malolactic. It has a nose of aromatic herbs and waxy apples, following the 2017 that was the first wine produced by the new technical team. The palate is fresh and shows some austerity, more elegant than powerful, and it's quite long. 2020-2026
92 points Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate
Even Rioja experts tend to forget that Contino makes a pretty smart white alongside its more celebrated reds. This combines Viura with 12% Garnacha Blanca and combines ageing in wood and cement to appealing effect, with subtle citrus and white flower aromas, wax and lemon peel flavours and zesty acidity.
93 points Tim Atkin MW
Based largely on Viura, the 2018 Blanco reminds me of a Northern Rhône white with its reserved nose of crushed citrus, melon, celery seed, and crushed stone-like minerality. With medium-bodied richness, well-integrated acidity, and a great finish, it's going to shine on the dinner table. It builds nicely with time in the glass, and while it's probably safest to drink over the coming 2-3 years, I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see it evolve longer.
93 points Jeb Dunnuck
|
|
|
|
Winery Notes:
Contino, the first Rioja château 1973, impelled by CVNE and the owners of the 62-hectare property located in the Rioja Alavesa. The history of the property dates from the 16th century, and is reflected in its name. The “contino” was the officer in charge of a guard corps of a hundred soldiers who protected the royal family "de contino” (continuously) from the times of the Catholic Monarchs onwards. According to the tradition, Saint Gregory, the patron saint of vineyards, passed through the lands of this same Rioja property, giving rise to the use of his figure in the logo of this winery, and to the use of his name for some of the plots now planted with vines.
The wine produced on this property, fruity and elegant, is heir to the best Rioja tradition. It is made with an individualised grape harvesting system in which only grapes from the same vineyards that surround the old manor house are used. Their origin in the various plots is noted. The perfect combination of soils, Atlantic-Mediterranean climate and refined technique have made Contino, more than 30 years after the first vintage, a reference product both in and outside Spain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
