Contino, Rioja Reserva Red

Viñedos del Contino was created by Cvne and the family owners of the state in 1973, establishing the “château” concept in the Rioja region. The estate embraces vineyards and wines, and is rooted in an ancestral home inside a bend in the Ebro river. Its wines are made exclusively from the stocks planted on its 62 hectares located in Laserna, near the town of Laguardia in the Rioja Alavesa wine making region.

Winery: Contino
Appellation: Rioja
Average age of vines: 55
Farming Methods: Conventional
Maturation: Aged 20 months in French and American oak
Soil: Rocky limestone
Varietal: Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano, Granacha
Vineyard Orientation: 450 meters
Vineyard Size: 62 hectares

Wine	Scores	Downloads
Contino, Rioja Reserva Red 2017	92 Vinous Inky ruby. Spice-accented dark berry and cherry aromas are complemented by floral, vanilla and smoky mineral flourishes. Appealingly sweet and fleshy in the mouth, offering juicy blackberry, cherry cola and baking spice flavors that firm up on the back half. Finishes pliant and long, with repeating floral and spice notes and even tannins that add shape and gentle grip.	Bottle Image Label Image Shelf Talker Tech Sheet
Contino, Rioja Reserva Red 2018	95 James Suckling Black cherries with cedar and dried flowers, as well as dusty earth. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm tannins that are long and polished. Lots of structure. Very typical and focused. Drinkable now, but better in 2024.	Bottle Image Label Image Shelf Talker Tech Sheet
Contino, Rioja Reserva Red 2019	97 James Suckling Violet, strawberry, raspberry and orange-peel aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, with minerality and brightness. Vivid. A wonderful change here. Energy. So much purity. Drink or hold. 93 Wine Advocate The grapes for the 2019 Reserva were picked earlier than in 2018, and they achieved lower alcohol in a warmer vintage. The wine is 13.89% alcohol, but picking early and with a shorter cycle in a hurried ripeness also means less aroma and flavor development. The warmer year delivered a higher pH, and the wine comes through as a little softer and with riper flavors. There are 313,666 bottles and 3,500 magnums of this. It was bottled in March 2022, after 18 months in barrel.	Bottle Image Label Image Shelf Talker Tech Sheet
Contino, Rioja Reserva Red 2020	96 James Suckling Such a delicate, nuanced Rioja that’s full of red berries, blueberries, grilled pepper, spices and minerals. So transparent and ethereal, with lots of finesse and delicacy. The tannins are fine, with a very silky, elegant center palate. Seamless and long. Drink from 2025. 95 Wine Enthusiast Bright ruby to the eye, this wine has aromas of blackberry, cocoa powder and lavender. Blackberry and cocoa powder transition to the palate and are joined by flavors of black cherry, violet, baking spices and caramel. Opulent tannins and a note of butterscotch stick around for a while.	Bottle Image Label Image Shelf Talker Tech Sheet