Contino Reserva Tinto
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2032
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted lamb chops with rosemary, slow-cooked beef stews, and aged Spanish cheeses like Manchego.
✨ Technical Specifications
Established in 1973 by CVNE, Viñedos del Contino is celebrated as Rioja's first true single-estate winery, modeled after the classic Bordeaux château concept. Situated in a sweeping bend of the Ebro River in Rioja Alavesa, the estate surrounds an ancient 16th-century manor house. The name 'Contino' pays homage to the royal guards ('continamente') who protected the Spanish monarchs. The Reserva Tinto is a masterful expression of this unique microclimate, where alluvial, limestone-rich soils are protected by the Sierra de Cantabria. The blend is traditionally dominated by Tempranillo, supported by Graciano, Mazuelo, and Garnacha. Aged carefully in a combination of French and American oak barrels followed by extensive bottle aging, this wine seamlessly bridges Rioja's rich historical traditions with modern elegance, offering deep dark fruit, mineral complexity, and refined, silky tannins.
🍾 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