Cune Rioja Gran Reserva 2018

The 2018 Gran Reserva Cune is 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo from Rioja Alta, aged up to 24 months in American and French oak barrels. Aromas of plum and blackberry intermingle with herbal and oaky notes. Dry, creamy and chalky on the palate, it offers a fairly compact mouthfeel. This red wine presents a modern twist on the fruit-forward style, resembling more of a New World red than a classic Rioja.

The 2018 Cune Gran Reserva was produced with grapes picked between the 8th and 26th of October, quite late into the season, reflecting a cooler year with frost and snow and a mild summer. The vegetative cycle was long, 180 days, and the final blend was 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo or Cariñena, mostly from their 70 hectares in Torremontalbo. The grapes fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and concrete after a 24-hour cold soak, and the wine matured in French and American oak barrels for 24 months. They bottled the wine with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.6 and 5.76 grams of acidity. It has spicy notes from the oak, vanilla and coconut, and is aromatic and expressive, clean, with a classic Gran Reserve profile. 295,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2021, and the bottles are kept for at least three years before they are released.

A savory red, leading with smoke and espresso notes before a plushly textured mix of black cherry, Kalamata olive and black tea pushes through. Sinewy tannins firm the fresh, spiced finish. Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo. Drink now through 2029. 4,000 cases made, 2,000 cases imported.