- Colour Red
- Producer Contino
- Region Rioja
- Drinking 2027 - 2042
- Case size 3x150cl
- Available Later
2021 - Contino Viña Del Olivo Rioja CVNE - 3x150cl
- Colour Red
- Producer Contino
- Region Rioja
- Drinking 2027 - 2042
- Case size 3x150cl
- Available Later
Select pricing type
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Vinous, December 2023, Score: 94
When you visit the Contino vineyard, you notice an olive tree near the cellar. That's the plot from which the 2021 Viña del Olivo hails, a blend of 80% Tempranillo, 15% Graciano, and 5% Mazuelo. It aged for 14 months in oak barrels, 80% American and 20% French. This purplish-red wine offers reductive aromas with notes of plums and cherries, accompanied by hints of herbs and vanilla-oak layers. Dry, rich and juicy, this layered wine introduces nuances of chalky and fine-grained tannins. The 2021 vintage is a delicate, textured, classical Rioja. Drink 2024-2040.
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Luis Gutierrez, April 2024, Score: 96+
The 2021 Viña del Olivo comes from one of the few non-alluvial plots on the property, as it has clay and limestone soils, a pure south exposure with vines planted in 1980 that produce deep wines with very good aging potential. It fermented in oak vats and matured in oak barrels for 14 months followed by another two months in oak vats. It's 80% Tempranillo, 15% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo with 13.85% alcohol, a pH of 3.57 and 5.3 grams of acidity. It surprised me with its finesse and elegance, a big change. There's no sensation of oak, and it's fresh, profound and floral, with concentrated back berry fruit, a touch of bacon (but all very subtle), a vibrant palate (the Graciano and the year?) and very fine tannins. It's still a baby but has gobsmacking balance and very fine tannins. I already liked the 2020, but this is one step above. Possibly the finest Olivo to date... 15,333 bottles and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in July 2023. Drink 2025-2038.
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Tim Atkin, April 2024, Score: 99
Well, well, well. This is one of the best wines of an outstanding vintage, demonstrating that this warm Rioja Alavesa site performs best in cooler vintages. It's a wine that oozes quality from the first sniff, all blackcurrant leaf, coffee bean and wild herbs, leading into a palate of mocha, plum and blackberry. The palate is refined, polished and beautifully freighted, marrying Tempranillo, 15% Graciano and 5% each of Mazuelo and Garnacha to (near) perfection. I can't recall a better wine from the estate. Bravo!
Producer
Contino
CVNE’s Contino is one of Rioja’s flagship wineries and is widely regarded as one of the greatest. Founded in the 16th Century it sits on one of the best terroirs in Rioja Alavesa and since 1973 it has been pioneering single estate Riojas from specific plots on the property. This innovation has produced some outstanding results, the wines have received top awards and glowing reviews from the critics.
Region
Rioja
By far the best known of Spain's wine regions is Rioja, which takes its name from the rio(river) Oja, a tributary of the river Ebro. Lying in the north of the country, along the Ebro valley, the area is sheltered from rain-bearing Atlantic winds by the dramatic Sierra de Cantabria to the north and west. The hilly vineyards are interspersed with orchards, poplars and eucalyptus trees. Rioja is further divided into three sub-regions - Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja. The first two are best regarded, with vines planted on cool slopes with clay and limestone soils. The permitted grape varieties for Rioja are tempranillo, which is grown extensively in Rioja Alta and Alavesa and will form the backbone of all the best wines, garnacha, widespread in Rioja Baja and used to add body to the blend, and mazuelo (carignan) and graciano, both grown in miniscule proportions. The key to understanding Rioja is the technique used to mature the wine. Unlike most other areas of Europe, American oak barrels are used which give the wines their characteristic soft vanilla, almost coconuty flavour. Historically the wines were aged for periods far longer than legally required, until all the fruit character had died down and the end result was a light, tawny-coloured wine dominated by oak flavours. Although there are still supporters of this classic style, far more producers are making wines in a more modern way, allowing the dark berry fruit flavours to burst through balanced by a more judicious use of oak ageing and often opting for French oak now.
