2018 CVNE (Cune) Gran Reserva Rioja 750 ml

CVNE was the first Spanish label to receive Wine Spectator’s coveted Wine of the Year award. They’re as close to a sure thing as you get in Rioja: Decanter said it’s among Rioja’s “best producers,” while Jancis Robinson included it in what she called “The Rioja Aristocracy.” 

Their 2018 Cune Rioja Gran Reserva overflows with muscular power, textbook Spanish verve, and piles of dusty, richly herbed dark fruit. This beauty was painstakingly aged at the winery for over five years before reaching us, and it’s in glorious form today. You could certainly hold on to this for another decade, but it’ll be hard to resist popping it with lamb chops or burgers in the short term.

The Compañia Vinícola del Norte de España—also known as “CVNE,” or the more pronounceable “CUNE”—is a pioneer in Rioja. They produced the first Spanish wine to earn the #1 spot on Wine Spectator’s Top 100, and they were the nation’s first winery to employ gravity-flow technology in the cellar.

This Gran Reserva is sourced exclusively from the estate's meticulously tended vineyards in Torrentalo, which average over 45 years in age. These head-trained specimens bask in optimal southern and eastern exposures, drawing character from distinctive clay-and-pebble soils that imprint their personality into this extraordinary offering.

While Cune was founded 1879, their approach to winemaking continues to evolve. Modern techniques include chilling the grapes before fermentation, fermenting in stainless steel and oak vats, and aging the wine for a full 24 months in French and American oak barrels. Those practices emphasize freshness, unearth multi-dimensional flavors, and capture aromatics that fully express the region’s storied terroir.