Dating back to 1879, CVNE is a family run company that has helped put Rioja on the map. Imperial is their flagship cuvee and one of the most famous labels in the world. It was rated world’s number one wine in 2013 by the American magazine Wine Spectator.
2018 is widely regarded as an outstanding vintage in Rioja with the Wine Advocate rating the vintage at 95 points, and Luis Gutierrez awarding this wine 95+ points, which is his highest score for Imperial Gran Reserva in recent memory. The only vintage he has rated more highly was the famed 1947!
C.V.N.E.’s story
The C.V.N.E. Company, or to give it its full name, Compañía Vinicola del Norte de España (The Northern Spanish Wine Company) was established on the 24th of March 1879 in Haro, Rioja. Set up by two brothers, Eusebio and Raimundo Real de Asúa, their aim was to capitalise on the flourishing new trade in wine. They now own several wineries in Rioja, as well as Ribera del Duero, Valdeorras, Rias Baixas and Cava.
Imperial is a small, unique, independent and artisanal winery within the original CVNE facility in Haro. This has been one of Spain’s finest wines since 1920 and is only produced in years of exceptional harvests in Rioja. It takes its name from a special bottling run for the English market in a bottle known as the Imperial Pint (an imperial pint is approximately half a litre). The winery contains French oak vats of different capacities, and rigorous quality controls govern wine production. The wines are monitored using artisanal techniques adapted specifically for each plot. Barrels are aged inside their Eiffel facility, built by the popular architect’s studio in 1909.
The Growing season
The 2018 harvest brought a return to traditional weather patterns, marked by a winter of heavy frosts, snowfall, and abundant rainfall. Spring remained cold and rainy, followed by a warm summer with moderate temperatures that allowed for optimal ripening of the grapes. These conditions were prevalent throughout Rioja Alta, including the Imperial vineyards, resulting in wines with slightly lower alcohol content, higher acidity, and a fresh, fruity profile.
The harvest, with a long vegetative cycle of 180 days, provided the ideal circumstances for producing exceptional wines. The Imperial harvest began on October 8th and concluded on October 26th with promising expectations. CVNE selected their finest vineyards in Rioja Alta to produce the Imperial Gran Reserva, focusing on small estates such as Remedio and Encinas, located in Villalba at altitudes between 550 and 650 meters near the Sierra de Toloño. These 12-hectare plots benefit from a continental climate with Atlantic influences.
Additionally, the Barbarroja and Antoñana estates in Torremontalbo, each 40 years old and yielding small production, were chosen for the 2018 vintage. These unirrigated, goblet-trained vineyards are set in clay soils, featuring rocky patches, and are south-facing with minimal organic matter. These conditions contributed to the unique characteristics of the vintage.
Imperial Gran Reserva 2018 – The Scores
Imperial wines are only produced in years with outstanding harvests. They perfectly capture the essence of Rioja Alta’s soil. The Gran Reserva is sourced from their best vineyards at about 600m high and aged for two years in a mix of French and American oak.
“The 2018 Imperial Gran Reserva was cropped from a year with the weather from yesteryear, a cold winter with frost, snow and abundant rain, a cool spring and mild summer that resulted in a long vegetative cycle of 180 days and a late harvest between October 8th and 26th. It has similar parameters to the 2017 I tasted next to it, with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.55 and 6.03 grams of acidity, but it shows fresher. It feels very complete, fresh and vibrant, with more depth and tannin. It's still quite young and should develop nicely in bottle with that extra kick from the cooler year. It was a smaller crop, and they produced 56,000 bottles. It was bottled in July 2021.” 95+pts Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate, February 2024
“Fresh blackberries, plums, smoked spices, graphite and cocoa powder. So juicy and firm, with fresh, abundant tannins coming from the fruit and spicy oak, but all woven in a fine-grained form, which clearly shows aging potential. Medium- to full-bodied with a very long finish. Try after 2026.” 96pts, Zekun Shuai, James Suckling, August 2023