CVNE Imperial Reserva 2020 750ml
CVNE Imperial Reserva 2020 is a classic Rioja Reserva from Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE). Made predominantly from Tempranillo, it reflects the traditional Rioja style, combining ripe fruit, elegant oak influence and balanced acidity. Expect a structured yet approachable red with the potential to develop further complexity with bottle age.
The Wine Advocate | RP 93+
Published: Feb 28, 2025
Drink: 2025-2037
The 2020 Imperial Reserva was produced with a blend of Tempranillo and 15% Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha grapes that were put through optical sorting and fermented in oak vats by vineyard, and the wine matured for 24 months in barrels, 70% French and the rest American. It has a shy nose that takes time to open up in the glass, but it is surprisingly harmonious and balanced and fresh for the year. It has a little more ripeness, but there's no excess at all; it has 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.65 and 5.44 grams of acidity. It has notes of spices, cigar box and ash, berries and wild herbs and a sleek and polished palate with resolved tannins. 150,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2023.
The CVNE team keeps working in their vineyards, especially with white grapes to produce Gran Reserva whites, planting new vineyards and buying some more. Some plots have been moved to échalas, with one stick per vine, and they have introduced new 4,000-liter oak foudres and 1,700-liter concrete eggs. They have 35 hectares in Rioja Alavesa for the Villa Real range for which they have a separate winery where they produce 1.3 million bottles. In the main and original Haro winery, the vineyards are in Rioja Alta and cover 50% of their needs, close to 500 hectares, and produce close to 4.5 million bottles.
2021 was a very good year, not easy, but the wines are serious and fresh—wines for the long haul. 2022 was very warm and dry, but the wines are much better than expected, in fact, quite surprising here, with freshness and fine tannins. Keep the 2021s and drink the 2022s. For them, 2023 is even more challenging than 2022, and it's still to be seen which wines will be bottled, almost sure they won't bottle Imperial...
Wine Spectator | WS 93
Published: Dec15, 2024
A medium-bodied red, with good focus to its notes of ripe black cherry and Damson plum, black tea, incense, paprika and milled pepper. Bright and graceful overall, this harmonious version integrates firm, fine-grained tannins and a stony underpinning that lingers on the finish. Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha. Drink now through 2035. 12,500 cases made, 1,500 cases imported.
Vivino | Vivino 4.2
It has high layer of cherry color with bright red hues. The nose protruding aromas of berries and licorice perfectly balanced with spicy notes of thyme, rosemary, clove and pure sheet coming from its time in oak. It expresses its elegance on the palate due to a nice tannin that gives roundness and freshness.
Cvne.com
Imperial Reserva
With Imperial, we strive to capture the essence of our soils and the meticulous care of our vineyards located in specific villages across Rioja Alta.
The grapes we use for Imperial derive from our own vineyards in Villalba, Briones and Torremontalvo.
In Villalba, we have the small Remedio and Encinas estates, located at altitudes between 550 and 650 m, close to the Sierra de Toloño mountains and in a climate with a marked Atlantic and continental influence. These estates account for 12 of the 42 hectares owned by CVNE in the village.
Torrentalvo is home to our San Quilez and Pico de Aguila vineyards, located at an altitude of 450 m and with a somewhat more moderate climate than the plots in Villalba. This accounts for 30 of the total 70 hectares owned by CVNE in the village. In neighbouring Briones, Imperial takes up 10 hectares (house vineyard).
All these vineyards are older than 40 years. The main variety is Tempranillo. However, other Rioja varieties, such as Garnacha and Graciano, are found in these calcareous clay soils, poor in organic matter. The vines are low-yield, head-trained and primarily south-facing.
The grapes are hand-picked in 300 kg pallets. The boxes are kept in a cold store for 24 hours to prevent oxidation, stabilise the colour and preserve the fruit’s aromas. Next, the grapes undergo a second selection process before being transported by gravity for fermentation in oak vats of varying capacities (80, 120 and 160 hectolitres), depending on the size of the estate. We use our own yeasts for alcoholic fermentation, selected from vineyards destined for Imperial wines. The maceration period lasts approximately 20 days, during which time we alternate different types of remontage, depending on how the fermentation process is developing and the wine samples tasted. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in concrete and wood vats, and the wine is then aged in American and French oak barrels (new or single-wine barrels). The wine from different vineyards is kept separately, with each estate being aged in the barrel that is the best fit for its organoleptic features. We carry out the final assemblage once the ageing process is complete before clarification and bottling.
Technical Specs
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Natural Cork
Harvest/Vintage: 2020
Oak: Aged for 24 months in 70% French oak and 30% American oak barrels, followed by at least 12 months in bottle
Varietals: 85% Tempranillo, 15% Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha
Farming/Vineyard: Estate-owned vineyards in Villalba, Briones and Torremontalbo, Rioja Alta; vines over 40 years old, low-yielding, grown on calcareous clay soils
Winemaking: Hand-harvested and carefully selected grapes; fermented in oak vats using selected indigenous yeasts, with approximately 20 days of maceration. Malolactic fermentation takes place in concrete and wooden vats
Winemaker/Producer: CVNE (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España)
Region/Appellation: Rioja, Spain – DOCa Rioja
Classification: Reserva
Serving Temperature: 16–18°C
Decanting: Decant for approximately 1 hour before serving to allow the wine to open up
Food Pairing: Roast lamb, grilled red meats, game, slow-cooked stews and mature cheeses