Rioja

Pago de Larrea, Rioja Crianza

COUNTRY

Spain - Rioja (Central North)

GRAPE VARIETY

Tempranillo 100%

The Larrea family started this relatively winery in 2002 although they have been involved in winemaking for over 40 years. Ripe black fruit, integrated cedar spice. Notes of chanterelle, sweet leather & liquorice.

Father, Luis, along with his son Luis and daughters Rosa and Maria, produce wine strictly from their vineyards only (buying in grapes from other growers is common elsewhere in Rioja), and can therefore control every aspect of the winemaking process. Their aim is to produce a wine which combines the best of both classic and modern styles of Rioja, looking for the finesse of the former with the weight of fruit and intensity of the latter. Crianza is the quality level of the wine, based on strict local laws which dictate the minimum aging term prior to release. In this case the wine rests in oak barrels for a year, followed by a further year in bottle before being made available for consumption.

Contino, Rioja Reserva

COUNTRY

Spain

REGION

Rioja (Central North)

GRAPE VARIETY

Tempranillo 85%, Graciano 10%, Mazuelo 2.5%, Garnacha 2.5%

Contino is the flagship, single vineyard estate, of the highly respect C.V.N.E group. A benchmark Rioja Reserva with a high Graciano (grape variety) content gives incredible freshness to the wine which is often found lacking in the bigger, more oaky, style of wine which is prevalent in the region. It is matured in a mix of French and American oak and bottled after two years before spending another two years in Contino’s underground cellars. Rich flavours of red & black fruits with cedar and tobacco aromas creates a beautifully balanced and harmonious wine. An exceptional match to grilled and roasted red meats.

The estate is steeped in history; ‘Contino’ was the officer in charge of a guard corps responsible for the protection of the royal family from the 15th century, and rumour has it that Saint Gregory, the patron saint of vineyards, passed through the land on which this property lies, hence his depiction in the winery’s logo.