Rioja Through the Ageing

We selected and blended this special Rioja in 2016 from some of Contino's finest fruit. It is about 75% tempranillo with the rest made up of graciano and mazuelo. Contino was the first producer in Rioja to be made from a single vineyard. It has a special location on the banks of the river Ebro and benefits from a warm micro-climate that is reflected in the style of this Rioja which is deeply coloured, full bodied and beautifully structured. It is fragrant with peppery, exotic fruit and a hint of blueberry. The Wine Society has the unique privilege of being the only UK merchant to blend an exclusive wine from this leading fine wine property. Decant in advance to allow all its delightful flavours to unfurl. For more on the story of this wine, please scroll down.

From the elegant and highly rated 2005 vintage, this is a refined, savoury and fully mature Rioja. Graceful and fine with exquisite flavours of tobacco and cedarwood, this was praised by Decanter Magazine for ‘displaying all the complexity that you'd expect from a gran reserva at nearly 20 years of age.` The bodega is located in Sonsierra where the poor but well drained limestone-clay soils at 500 to 600-metres altitude up in the foothills provide a perfect terroir for old-vine tempranillo, grown on bush vines and hand harvested at low yields.

A refined, supremely elegant Rioja from this top estate but this is unusual in being 100% garnacha. The 2021 is round and silky with floral fruit and a delightful herby aroma.