2007 Rioja Reserva

Saturated ruby. Intense aromas of dark berries, cherry pit, minerals and flowers, complicated by a sexy vanilla nuance. The palate offers sweet blackberry and cherry-cola flavors that put on weight with air. Expands nicely in the glass, picking up floral pastille and spicecake qualities that carry through a smooth, gently tannic finish. Drinks very well now with some decanting, but this wine has the balance to age.

The 2007 Reserva has an alluring, ripe cassis-scented bouquet with well-integrated oak that soars from the glass and maintains superb clarity and vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with very smooth, silky tannins and just a touch of piquancy towards the intense finish, which still shows some puppy fat, but demonstrates great persistency. Drink now-2020+ CVNE was founded by the Real de Asua brothers in 1879 and has remained family-owned since that time. The historic bodega is located in Haro, and there are three companies under the umbrella: CVNE, Contino and Vina Real. These wines were tasted on two occasions in London, revisiting recent vintages plus older ones to compare. The Vino del Olivo is fermented in large oak vats and undergoes malolactic in new French barrels, where it is matured for 17 months. The Graciano is limited to around 6,000 bottles per vintage and is aged for 15 months in new oak (90% French and 10% Hungarian) and then 12 months in bottle. Importer: Christopher Cannan, Europvin; www.europvin.com