Contino, "Vina del Olivo" Rioja Red

Our Contino Viña del Olivo is produced from the best bunches of grapes hand-harvested from our Olivo vineyard (a 700-year-old vineyard). The grapes are carefully harvested in crates and sorted meticulously upon arrival at the winery. Next, the grapes are fermented in 100-hectolitre French oak vats at a temperature of 28-30ºC for ten days, after a further ten days of maceration. The grapes then undergo malolactic fermentation for 15 days in new French oak barrels (85%) and American oak barrels (15%). Finally, the wine is then aged for 16 months before being transferred to wooden vats for three months.

Winery: Contino
Appellation: Rioja
Average age of vines: 700 years old
Farming Methods: Organic
Maturation: Aged for 16 months before being transferred to wooden vats for three months
Soil: Calcareous clay with a high content of active limestone
Varietal: Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuello
Vineyard Orientation: South-face slope
Vineyard Size: 62 hectares

Wine	Scores	Downloads	Reviews
Contino, "Vina del Olivo" Rioja Red 2021	96+ Wine Advocate The 2021 Viña del Olivo comes from one of the few non-alluvial plots on the property, as it has clay and limestone soils, a pure south exposure with vines planted in 1980 that produce deep wines with very good aging potential. It fermented in oak vats and matured in oak barrels for 14 months followed by another two months in oak vats. It’s 80% Tempranillo, 15% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo with 13.85% alcohol, a pH of 3.57 and 5.3 grams of acidity. It surprised me with its finesse and elegance, a big change. There’s no sensation of oak, and it’s fresh, profound and floral, with concentrated back berry fruit, a touch of bacon (but all very subtle), a vibrant palate (the Graciano and the year?) and very fine tannins. It’s still a baby but has gobsmacking balance and very fine tannins. I already liked the 2020, but this is one step above. Possibly the finest Olivo to date… 15,333 bottles and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in July 2023. 99 Tim Atkin Well, well, well. This is one of the best wines of an outstanding vintage, demonstrating that this warm Rioja Alavesa site performs best in cooler vintages. It’s a wine that oozes quality from the first sniff, all blackcurrant leaf, coffee bean and wild herbs, leading into a palate of mocha, plum and blackberry. The palate is refined, polished and beautifully freighted, marrying Tempranillo, 15% Graciano and 5% each of Mazuelo and Garnacha to (near) perfection. I can’t recall a better wine from the estate. Bravo! 2026-2040.	Bottle Image Label Image Shelf Talker Tech Sheet