Contino Graciano Rioja DOC, CVNE

Description

Contino Graciano Rioja DOC is a Single Vineyard wine made by Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE) at their pioneering 62 hectare Contino estate on the bank of the River Ebro. The Contino winery is one of three wineries that the company own including CVNE itself, founded on the 24th of March 1879 in Haro, and Vina Real.

The Contino estate was established as a single vineyard inspired by the concept of the “Bordeaux Chateau” and was the very first single vineyard Rioja when it was released in 1973. At Contino they only make a handful of wines but these include this fantastic Graciano and the Vina del Olivo which is arguably one of the best Spanish red wines. Winemaker Jesus Madrazo, the son of the founder, aims to be at the vanguard of Rioja wine making whilst preserving its established traditions. They were one of the few estates that persevered with, and helped to rescue, the Graciano grape from obscurity.

All Contino wines are made from grapes exclusively grown on the 62 hectare estate located in Laserna, near the town of Laguardia in the Rioja Alavesa wine making region. The vineyards are sheltered by the Cerro de la Mesa hill which gives them their characteristic mesoclimate. The vineyards are close to the winery and a short journey from vineyard to winery means the grapes arrive at the winery perfect condition.

The grapes for the Contino Graciano Rioja are harvested by hand in mid-September. The vines are picked over twice with only the perfectly ripe bunches being collected. Fermentation took place in 100 hl wooden vats between 28° and 30° for 8 days, followed by a slow static decantation. The wine is aged for 15 months in a combination new French oak barrels (90%) and new Hungarian oak barrels (10%). The wine in the French oak barrels undergoes malolactic fermentation (MLF) and is racked every two months. After bottling the wine is aged for another 12 months in bottle prior to release.

Contino Graciano Rioja is only made in exceptional years.