The view from Laserna
Hidden away behind the village of Laserna, in Rioja Alavesa, the Contino bodega enjoys some spectacular views. Below lie vineyards, medieval rooftops, and the torturous bends of the River Ebro; the horizon is cut by a jagged line of sierra. With the local climate balanced - sometimes disrupted - by countervailing tendencies (southern Rioja Alavesa is where Atlantic and Mediterranean weather systems typically face off), this has always been a fine place to make wine. Winemaker Jorge Madrazo admits that in hot years it can be a challenge to maintain freshness, but the results of recent vintages show they are succeeding spectacularly.
There was wine being made here in the Middle Ages - the cellar caves under the bodega are among the oldest in Rioja. The modern era started in 1973, when the grand old bodega CVNE acquired Contino. In no way did CVNE throw its weight around; Contino is run autonomously, and was given the freedom to develop on an estate model, using only fruit from their own vineyards. This was a novelty in a region built on growers, co-operatives and grape sourcing.
2016 saw a brilliant harvest across Rioja, with warm, structured, aromatic wines. At Contino they like to raise their Rioja in a mixture of French and American oak barrels, which - as they see it - brings more complexity to the wine. 2016 Contino marries classic Rioja plum and cherry fruit with notes of leather, cigar smoke and sandalwood; it builds slowly in the mouth to a long and satisfying finish. It is impeccably made, medium-bodied, rich but with a balancing freshness, and very much in line with the best wines being made in the region. /NT
'The renewed classical red 2016 Reserva was produced as a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo. It fermented in small stainless steel and concrete vats and matured in 225-liter French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels for 18 months. It has a very expressive nose, open, aromatic and showy, a little Rhône-ish. 2016 was a cooler year and they had a long harvest, and it seems like the fruit ripened thoroughly without excess. It's a natural continuation of the 2015, when the wine already had more freshness and better integrated oak. It has a full body and some dusty tannins, finishing dry and tasty. It's ready to drink. There were 281,389 bottles and 3,000 magnums produced. It was bottled in May 2019.' 94+ points, Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com, Oct 2020
