2020 CVNE 'Cune' Reserva, Rioja DOCa, Spain (750ml)

WINEMAKER'S NOTE:

Garnet color with fresh aromas of red fruit. Aromas of licorice standing out, blending perfectly with sweet notes of vanilla, toffee, as well as spicy aromas and toasted notes from barrel aging. A perfect, round and balanced mid palate, with a fresh touch at the end, giving it length.

Blend: 85% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha Tinta, Graciano & Mazuelo

Vegan-Friendly

TASTING NOTES:

The 2020 Reserva Cune is 85% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha, 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo from Rioja Alta, aged up to 18 months in a mix of American and French oak barrels. Garnet in color, it delivers black ripe fruit, meaty notes and garrigue-like layers. Dry, juicy and chalky on the palate, it closes with a plush, crystal-clear finish.
- Vinous, 92 pts.

A juicy and bright Rioja with ripe, fresh plums, cherries, stones, sweet spices and tobacco. Textbook, medium-bodied palate with juicy, plummy fruit and fine-grained tannins. Fairly long and tightly wound finish. Energetic and pretty refined. Vegan. Drink or hold.
- James Suckling, 92 pts.

A harmonious version that integrates creamy-edged tannins and orange peel acidity with a lovely range of baked cherry, fig cake, dried thyme and warm brown bread. Lightly chewy and lingering on the finish. Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo. Drink now through 2034.

- Wine Spectator, 91 pts. 

The 2020 Cune Reserva was produced with a blend of Tempranillo with 15% Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo from Haro, fermented in 20,000-liter stainless steel vats and matured in new and used French and American oak barrels for 18 months. It has 14% alcohol and good freshness and balance, reflecting the warm conditions of the year. It's serious and harmonious, classical and polished, with some incipient notes of complexity. It develops aromas in the glass in a short time. It has abundant, fine, slightly dusty tannins. 2020s are quite approachable, without the exuberance of other warm vintages. This is very good for the year.

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 91 pts. 

Juicy black fruit underpinned by the slightest hint of smoke. Deft wood integration gives a smokey, toasted framework. Fresh and focused with a broody background of petrichor and wet tobacco leaves. Clean and classic with good definition and focus.

- Decanter, 90 pts.