By Vinedos del Contino
2015 Reserva

The Wine
Vinedos del Contino was created by CVNE and the family/owners of the estate in 1973, establishing the "chateau" concept in the Rioja region. The estate embraces vineyards and wines and is rooted in an ancestral home within a meander in the River Ebro. Its wines are made exclusively from the vines planted in Laserna, near the town of Laguardia in the Rioja Alavesa winemaking region.

Wine Details
Winery: Vinedos del Contino
Region of Production: Rioja
Vintage Rating: Excellent
Type of Wine: Red
Style: Reserva
Year: 2015
Grape Variety: 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo and Grenache (Garnacha)

Analytical Data
Total Acidity: 5.50
pH: 3.63
Volatile Acidity: 0.57
So2 L/T: 35/113
IPT: 57.60

Production Notes
The wine was made from perfectly ripe, hand-selected, and harvested grapes from our vineyards around Finca de San Rafael. The grapes were destemmed and then fermented in 12,000-litre stainless steel tanks at 28-30 degrees C. After a post fermentative maceration of 15 to 20 days, malolactic fermentation was completed. The wine was then racked to previously used barrels (40% American oak and 60% French), where it remained for two years. It was then bottled and aged for a further year in our underground cellars until being released to the market.

Vintage and Harvest
This was a year with little rainfall during the growing season, but which was well distributed at critical times. Total rainfall was 368 l/m2, which was within the average of the previous four years. Autumn and winter were mild, with frosts in January and February, which were not severe and were followed by a warm spring and summer. Bud break was early, beginning on March 20, followed by flowering on May 29, fruit set began on June 3, and veraison on July 17, all of this in the earliest and least productive plots of Tempranillo - San Gregorio Grande, Bartolo, and Lentisco. A healthy harvest started on September 18 with 453,005 kilos of red grapes and 12,850 kilos of white grapes being picked at Contino. Harvest finished just as the autumn rains began on October 14 with the appearance of some botrytis in the last two days.

Tasting Notes
Deep ruby red, clear, and bright. The nose is very expressive, with fruit expression and elegance standing out. Red fruits are well integrated with spicy notes adding to the finesse. On the palate, the wine is well balanced and very long.
[Information provided by DHI Selections]

CONTINO RESERVA 2015
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Country: Spain
Region: La Rioja
Vintage: 2015
Score: 96
This shows so much intense dark berry such as blueberries and blackberries with hints of flowers. Lavender too. Full body, dense tannins with freshness and intensity. So tight and focused. A classic Rioja. Need five to six years of bottle age to come around. Try in 2024.

Contino 2015 Reserva (Rioja)
Points: 94
Price: $85
Special Designation: Editors' Choice
Designation: Reserva
Variety: Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo
Appellation: Rioja, Northern Spain, Spain
Winery: Contino
Bottle Size: 750.00 ml
Category: Red
Importer: Arano LLC
Date Published: 9/1/2019
Reviewed by Michael Schachner
Malty berry aromas are supported by cocoa, mocha, and berry fruit scents. This has a jammy plum and berry palate, with a ripe, slightly desiccated red-fruit-flavor profile. Depth and balance drive the finish, which is usually a good indication that aging will only help. Drink through 2040.

2015 Contino Reserva
Spain, Rioja
Rating: 94
Producer: Contino
Color: Red
Type: Table
Sweetness: Dry
Variety: Proprietary Blend
Drink Date: 2019-2025
Issue Date: 28th Jun 2019
Source: Issue 243 End of June 2019, The Wine Advocate
Reviewed by Luis Gutierrez
The 2015 Reserva is a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% split between Mazuelo and Garnacha that wants to express the character of the Contino estate. It fermented in 12,000-liter stainless steel at 28 degrees to 30 degrees Celsius with 15 to 20 days of maceration and an elevage in 60% French and 40% American oak barrels for two years. It feels fresher than the 2014, and it also shows younger, with better integrated oak, subtle aromas and nice balance. It's medium-bodied, with very fine tannins and good freshness, integrated and balanced. I look forward to tasting the 2016 of this wine, because this 2015 is going in a direction that I like. It was bottled in June 2018.

CVNE, Contino Reserva, Rioja, Northern Spain, Spain, 2015
Tasted by Julie Sheppard (at Wines from Spain Awards London, 03 Nov 2019)
Points: 93
Drinking Window: 2019 - 2029
Producer: CVNE
Vintage: 2015
Type: Still
Colour: Red
Country: Spain
Region: Northern Spain
Appellation: Rioja
Ageing: Reserva
Sweetness: Dry
Closure: Cork
Body: Full
Time in Oak: 24 months
Oak: Oaked
Vinedos del Contino was founded in 1973 by CVNE, with the aim of pioneering single estate wines in Rioja. This Reserva is a blend of Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha from the estate, aged in French and American oak for two years and spending another year in bottle before release. Lifted and elegant aromas of black and red fruit lead to a smooth and silky cassis and black cherry palate with fine tannins, expanded by spice notes from the well-judged oak. Nothing is overplayed here: elegant and very enjoyable.

Vinedos del Contino 2015 Reserva (Rioja)
Rating: 93
Rioja, Rioja
Red wine from Spain
Drinking window: 2022-2032
(Malo in stainless steel tanks, followed by two years of aging in a 60/40 combination of used French and American oak barrels) Deep lurid ruby. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and dark berry, potpourri and fruitcake scents, along with suggestions of cola and smoky minerals. Concentrated and supple in texture, showing impressive depth and definition to the juicy black raspberry, cherry liqueur, and mocha flavors. A suave floral quality emerges with air and carries through the very long, gently tannic finish, which leaves behind sweet red berry and vanilla notes.
Josh Raynolds, February 2019

CONTINO Rioja Reserva 2015
Score: 90
Country: Spain
Region: Spain
Issue: Oct 15, 2019
This plump red delivers cherry and plum flavors, with notes of chocolate, licorice and orange peel, giving this a sweet-tart character that resolves into a finish of sandalwood and spice. Generous, with enough tannins for backbone. Drink now through 2025. -TM

Contino, Reserva, Rioja, Spain, 2015
Producer: Contino
Vintage: 2015
Sub-region: Reserva
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Award: Bronze
Score: 89
Colour: Red
Style: Still - Dry (below 5 g/L residual sugar)
Bottle size: 75cl
Closure: Natural Cork
Tasting notes: Upfront blueberry fruit with earthy and herbal undertones. Bold and dense fruit-driven palate with a spicy finish.

Contino, Reserva 2015 Rioja
Producer: Contino
Classification: Reserva
Appellation: Rioja
Region: Spain
Country: Spain
Colour: Red
Score: 17/20
When To Drink: 2023 - 2035
Published On: 6 Aug 2020
Date Tasted: 5 May 2020
Reviewer: Tim Jackson MW
Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha, Mazuelo.
Mid-deep ruby. Ripe, red-cherry fruit, with beautifully layered clove and cedar oak spice notes. Lovely integration of oak and fruit. Well crafted, though there's a good backbone of fine tannins that will carry it through for a decade from now. (TJ)

Contino 2015 Rioja Reserva Red Blend
Rating: 86
A warm, round vintage of Contino, this shows its oak in smoky scents of caramel and butterscotch. It's fruity and simple, appealingly ripe. (12/18)
Arano, Boca Raton, FL