Though 2011 was a hot, dry vintage in Rioja (except for an atypically cool month of July), the 2011 Imperial Gran Reserva is the epitome of a classic example of this bottling, coming in at 13.45 percent alcohol and offering up superb purity and focus on both the nose and palate. The beautiful bouquet wafts from the glass in a mix of red and black cherries, chalky soil tones, Cuban cigar wrapper, woodsmoke, brown spices and a refined framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, precise and beautifully deep at the core, with outstanding soil signature, suave tannins, great precision and balance and a very, very long, vibrant, and complex finish. This is just blossoming and is a delicious drink today, but with decades and decades of life still to unfold with further cellaring.

Vivid ruby-red. Highly perfumed aromas of red fruit liqueur, candied flowers, vanilla and incense; spice cake, vanilla and smoky mineral flourishes emerge with air. Palate-staining raspberry, cherry-vanilla and rose pastille flavors display excellent depth and energy, and a spine of juicy acidity provides added lift and back-end cut. Melds richness and vivacity with a sure hand and finishes with lingering sweetness, fine-grained tannins and a touch of smokiness. (JR)

I'm always looking forward to tasting CVNE's Gran Reserva bottlings, especially the 2011 Imperial Gran Reserva, as the year was highly praised, and I was very curious to see how it behaved. It's a classical blend of Tempranillo with 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo that matured in barrel for two years. It has good depth and complexity in the nose, nicely layered, very balsamic and tertiary. It feels elegant and harmonious. The palate is surprisingly fresh and vibrant, with finesse, freshness, fine and mostly resolved tannins and a fine thread of acidity that holds and lifts up the finish. (LG) 93+