Imperial Gran Reserva
⏳ Drinking Window
2025 - 2045
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Classic roast lamb, slow-cooked game meats such as venison, and aged Manchego cheese.
✨ Technical Specifications
First created in the 1920s and named after a special bottling for the English market in 'Imperial pint' measures, CVNE's Imperial Gran Reserva is a legendary benchmark of traditional Rioja. Sourced from estate-owned vineyards in Rioja Alta, particularly around Villalba and Haro, the wine is a classic blend dominated by Tempranillo, complemented by Graciano and Mazuelo. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented in French oak vats before undergoing an extensive aging regimen of at least two years in French and American oak casks, followed by several years of refinement in the bottle. This painstaking process yields a wine of immense complexity, characterized by notes of dried forest fruits, leather, sweet spices, and tobacco, supported by a seamless, velvety structure.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1879 by brothers Raimundo and Eusebio Real de Asúa, the Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE) is one of Rioja's foundational and most prestigious historic bodegas, headquartered in the iconic Barrio de la Estación in Haro, Spain. Still under the stewardship of the founding family's descendants, CVNE harmoniously bridges traditional winemaking heritage with pioneering technical innovation across its distinct estates and cellars. The estate is celebrated for crafting world-renowned, age-worthy wines characterized by elegance, structure, and balance, predominantly driven by Tempranillo and native Riojan varieties. Among its celebrated portfolio are legendary classic benchmarks such as Imperial, Viña Real, and the single-estate icon Viñedos del Contino.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo