2018 CVNE Imperial Rioja Gran Reserva: the best since 1947?

An outstanding 2018

It is one of the great, traditionally-made Rioja gran reservas. It is only made in the best vintages, and it's built to last. It gets a winery all to itself, with a barrel cellar designed late in life by Gustave Eiffel, he of the tower. CVNE's flagship wine Imperial first appeared on the scene in 1920, and since then it has become an icon of Spanish and international tables. It wasn't just Uncorked that was mightily impressed by the recently-released 2018 vintage; writing on robertparker.com, Luis Gutierrez, the preeminent contemporary Spanish wine critic, gave it 95+ points - the highest score he has given to any vintage apart from the legendary 1947.

2018 was a cool year by the often scorching standards of Rioja. Under these conditions, grapes could ripen slowly and evenly, through an unusually long growing cycle. More of the older, unirrigated vines close to the winery made the final blend this year. 

The result is a wine of great finesse and elegance, with vibrant acidity and well-integrated tannins. It's mostly Tempranillo, with a spicing of Graciano (for perfume) and Mazuelo (for structure). Uncorked was struck by the freshness and the minerality underlying the very classic plum-and-thyme notes. It's been raised in a mix of French and American oak; the French oak brings a note of dusty char, and the American oak brings sweeter vanilla and clove. While it's very rewarding already, the fruit and tannic core is still tight; it will unwind beautifully over a few years in your cellar.  /NT

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