Only produced in years of exceptional harvests, Imperial perfectly captures 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. Aromas of Black and red fruit alongside notes of forest floor, cloves, roasted coffee, cigar leaf, chocolate, caramel and balsamic notes. Deep and elegant on the palate with warm tannins well balanced with the acidity. Long and complex.
Producer description:
Dating back to 1879, CVNE is a family run company that has helped put Rioja on the map. Imperial, their flagship cuvee, was rated world’s number one wine in 2013 by the American magazine Wine Spectator. They are also known for making Monopole, Spain’s oldest white wine; Corona 1939, Viña Real 1947 and single vineyard Contino.
Style:
Still Red
Vintage:
2009
Dryness:
Dry
ABV:
13.5
Size:
75cl
Delivery:
4 weeks
Available:
3
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Critic Scores
Decanter | 95
Imperial was first bottled in 1920 and has gained a reputation as one of the best known wines of Rioja. The name traces its origins back to a special bottling intended for the English market which was called Pinta Imperial, or 'Imperial pint'. The grapes come from CVNE’s 28ha of vineyards, as well as from selected sites in Rioja Alta, where the vines are on average 20 years old. Ageing in French and American oak lasts for 24 months, with another 48 months in bottle. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW: Dense, highly concentrated style that’s already very impressive and will please many. One hopes that its concentration of fruit will come to terms with the heavy oak with some more time in bottle. Sarah Jane Evans MW: Aromatically bursting with red fruits, this is a very perfumed, full-flavoured wine with notes of cranberries. It is a mouthwatering, confident wine that will last a long time. Pierre Mansour: Spicy new oak floats across the dense and layered palate, giving a chunky, compact wine with lovely plum fruit. Complete.
Wine Spectator | 93
Plum and currant flavors mingle with notes of espresso, tobacco, dried herb and spice in this solid red. Firm tannins and orange peel acidity give this structure and balance. Lovely fruit and floral accents linger. Drink now through 2024. 1,000 cases imported.
Robert Parker | 93
The 2009 Imperial Gran Reserva, the textbook blend of Tempranillo with 15% Graciano and Mazuelo, is fermented in oak vats with malo in barrels (part did it in cement) where it matured for two years and the bottles rested in their caves for no less than three years before being released. In this ripe and approachable vintage the wine is soft and round, showing the classical aromas inherited for the American oak along with very balsamic notes of incense, cigar ash, old furniture and good, ripe black fruit in the background. The palate shows more abundant tannins, slightly grainy in nature and an ending that is quite dry. I would wait on this one, but it should develop nicely in bottle. 50,000 bottles produced.
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