Store Takeover, WIA style!

Rioja wins our Region of the Year accolade because no other on the planet is remotely close to its diversity and QPR.

TWO events today, for REDS CVNE’s Imperial takes the spotlight with a vertical, while a whole other realm of 5-10 case lots of WHITES are here in the Store comparable to the greatest in the world, by up-and-coming producers that make just a barrel or two.

This year, an Antonio Galloni’s Vinous article titled The Many Riojas of Rioja: A Tale of Forking Paths confirmed what Agent Noir witnessed firsthand during his most recent visit: “Today, Rioja has two speeds. The first is set by the big producers who are responsible for the region’s worldwide fame and its association with extensive oak aging. The second is the more dynamic side, where producers display pride in their place of origin and stylistic choices, more interested in bringing out individual characters than adhering to an established style.”

Perhaps Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate explains this evolution (or revolution if you will) best with this example: “Rioja had a structure that might be closer to (old) Champagne than to any of the other regions from France, where large wineries would source grapes from small growers and produce branded wines, which would more often than not be blends. But just like Champagne changed from that single model to having more vignerons, that is also happening more and more in Rioja. These grape growers stopped selling their grapes or wines and started bottling and selling them themselves.”

They fascinatingly coexist and thrive today. The most established big producers continue to ratchet up quality, while the tiniest ones redefine the region’s potential of individual terroirs.

As our feature(s) today we have CVNE’s flagship Imperial, since we got these down to a price they are never seen at, there will be a few vintages coming and going of this past Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of the Year winner.

Then, for a while, it cost twice to thrice the price, IF you could find any out there.

With 98 POINTS for just $59 per bottle, the BEST price anywhere!

Antonio Galloni’s Vinous points out: “Over the past decade the quality of these traditionally made wines has been on a steady rise. Today I would count CVNE among the region’s top producers, up and down the range. The top-end Imperial bottlings are made from a 28-hectare vineyard in Rioja Alta. These wines have established an enviable track record for long aging. Bottles of the legendary 1968 Gran Reserva are still going strong, with what seems to be years of life ahead.”

Youthful as it may be, pop one in the morning and let it breathe in a decanter, to reveal its wonders for the fast-approaching nighttime ahead. Sip and savor over hours as it opens and unfolds layer after layer, one of the most complex beverages your body will experience.

It may initially seem as if fifty bucks is on the steep side from a value standpoint, however for a red this fine, it’s a steal actually. Too bad it’s also highly limited as demand for “one of the best Imperial Gran Reservas in a very long time” is high amongst the collector and connoisseur hive.

Only a few cases sadly… will they last a few hours? We think not.

97 Points – James Suckling “This is very ripe with blackberries, dried fruit, toasted oak and black licorice on the nose. Full-bodied with ultra-fine, linear tannins and a racy, refined finish. This has fantastic structure and length. It goes on for minutes. It needs time to open and refine even more. One of the best Imperiale Gran Reservas in a very long time. Drink after 2023.”