• Home
  • /
  • Cune Rioja Reserva Imperial 750 ml

Cune Rioja Reserva Imperial 750 ml

Country: Spain /

Region: Rioja /

Style: Wine /

Size: 750 ml /

Vintage: 2019 /

Sku: 19220

James Suckling95 Points
Vinous94 Points
Jeb Dunnuck94 Points
$56.99
1 - 11
$56.99
12 +
$51.33

Details

Details

*Vintage may vary by location*

The 2019 Imperial Reserva was cropped from a very healthy year with good ripeness and balance, a powerful vintage with a 185-day vegetative cycle. They look for finesse, precision and power, a blend of Tempranillo and 15% Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha put through optical sorting and fermented in oak vats with yeasts selected from the Imperial vineyards and a 20-day maceration, then it matured in barrels, 70% French and the rest American, for 24 months. It has 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.61. It feels very classical, with finesse and power, balanced and serious. It has tannins that call for food.


• Tempranillo •

Suggested Food Pairing:

Beef
Charcuterie-Cheese
Duck
Game
Lamb

Reviews

James Suckling95 Points
Vinous94 Points
Jeb Dunnuck94 Points
JS James Suckling: 95 Points
A precise, layered nose that shows excellent purity despite some sweet oak spices. More berry fruit comes out as you give it some time in the glass. Plums, cherries, red berries with dark mushrooms, cured meat, grilled spices, stones, vanilla and iodine. Juicy, spiced berries quickly tighten up on the medium- to full-bodied palate with dusty, powerful tannins, allowing it to expand into the finish. It grows on the palate and the creaminess is already chiselled. This will age beautifully in the next 10-15 years. Drinkable now, but better from 2026.
VN Vinous: 94 Points
The 2019 Reserva Imperial is a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 5% Garnacha, 5% Graciano, and 5% Mazuelo sourced from Villalba, Briones and Torremontalbo in Rioja Alta. Aged for 24 months in a combination of French (70%) and American (30%) oak barrels, this dark garnet wine reveals enticing aromas of blackberry and ripe plums from the Tempranillo, complemented by hints of hops and herbs from the other varieties. Dry, intense and juicy on the palate, it offers a fairly chalky and energetic mouthfeel. This is a classic Rioja with a nod to fruit-forwardness.
JD Jeb Dunnuck: 94 Points
The Imperial wines are meant to reflect Rioja tradition as remodernized classic wines that can be aged a long time. As part of that, the 2019 Imperial Reserva gets a high percentage of French oak (60%) and more new. Drinking well now, it’s quite full-bodied and powerful in ripe black fruit cradled in firm tannins benefiting from balanced acidity that helps temper the intensity.