2008 Contino, Viña del Olivo, Rioja
Red | Ready, but will keep | Code: 17587 | 2008 | Spain > Rioja | Tempranillo/Tinto Fino | Full Bodied, Dry | 14.0 % alcohol
Compania Vinicola del Norte de Espana (CVNE) was founded in 1879 by the Real de Asua brothers and nearly 140 years later their descendants are still in charge of what is now a considerable operation. In 1973 they created Contino, the first single-estate concept in the Rioja region, and the single vineyard Viña del Olivo is located in one of the best areas of Rioja near Logroño in La Rioja Alavesa. Hugging the banks of the river Ebro the vines surround a 1,000-year-old olive tree, hence its name, and the resulting wines are hugely impressive, sophisticated yet understated.
The 2008 is made up of 88 percent Tempranillo and 12 percent Graciano with ageing for 36 months in oak of various origins. The wine is subsequently rich and deep; however there is balance and harmony beneath the rippling musculature.
The Wine Advocate - The 2008 Contino Vino del Olivo (Continos tenderloin parcel) is made up of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano that was barrel-fermented, underwent malolactic fermentation in barrel, and was then aged for 17 months in new barriques. It is a dense, mouth-filling, richly fruited offering made in a more contemporary style than most of Cunes other offerings. Expect it to unwind for another 5-6 years and drink well through 2028.
Jay S Miller - 02/05/2011
Tempranillo/Tinto Fino
A high quality red wine grape that is grown all over Spain except in the hot South - it is known as Tinto Fino in Ribera del Duero, Cencibel in La Mancha and Valdepenas and Ull de Llebre in Catalonia. Its spiritual home is in Rioja and Navarra where it constitutes around 70% of most red blends.
Tempranillo-based wines tend to have a spicy, herbal, tobacco-like character accompanied by ripe strawberry and red cherry fruits. It produces fresh, vibrantly fruit driven "jovenes" meant for drinking young. However Tempranillo really comes into its own when oak aged, as with the top Riojas where its flavours seem to harmonise perfectly with both French and American oak, producing rich, powerful and concentrated wines which can be extraordinarily long-lived.
In Ribera del Duero it generally sees less oak - the exception being Vega Sicilia where it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and then aged for an astonishing 7 years in oak and is unquestionably one of the world`s greatest wines.