Contino Gran Reserva
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed from 10 to 25+ years after the vintage, as its structured tannins and vibrant acidity allow it to age gracefully for decades.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted rack of lamb, slow-cooked venison stew, and aged Manchego cheese.
✨ Technical Specifications
Viñedos del Contino, established in 1973 by CVNE, pioneered the single-estate 'château' concept in Rioja. Situated in a fertile bend of the Ebro River in Rioja Alavesa, the estate surrounds an ancient 16th-century manor house once guarded by the 'continos'—the royal bodyguards of the Spanish crown. The Contino Gran Reserva is a masterful expression of this unique microclimate, where alluvial soils, limestone, and Atlantic influences shape the vines. The wine is typically a blend dominated by Tempranillo, enriched with Graciano (a grape for which Contino is world-renowned), Mazuelo, and Garnacha. Following traditional Gran Reserva standards, it undergoes extensive aging in both oak casks and bottle, resulting in a complex, elegant wine that balances dark fruit, balsamic notes, leather, and refined spices.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1879 in Haro's iconic Barrio de la Estación by brothers Eusebio and Raimundo Real de Asúa, Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE) stands as an architectural and viticultural pillar of DOCa Rioja. Still stewarded by fifth-generation descendants under CEO Víctor Urrutia, the historic house commands premier vineyard parcels across Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, rooted primarily in calcareous clay and alluvial gravel under an Atlantic-moderated continental climate. CVNE has historically driven technical modernizations, incorporating gravity-flow winemaking, Eiffel-engineered cellars, and early concrete fermentation vats alongside classical oak maturation. Viticulture emphasizes environmental stewardship, evidenced by active membership in International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA). The house crafts legendary expressions, from the flagship Imperial Gran Reserva and the singular Real de Asúa to pioneering whites such as Viña Real Blanco, Monopole Clásico, and the scarce Corona Gran Reserva, reflecting balance, age-worthiness, and traditional Spanish winemaking precision.
🍇 Grapes
Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo