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2011 CVNE "Imperial" Gran Reserva Rioja

2011 CVNE "Imperial" Gran Reserva Rioja

97WE
94JG
94VN
93RP
93W&S
$124.99

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Availability by location

Culver City: 10 | Redwood City: 6 | Hollywood: 5 | San Francisco: 3

97

Wine Enthusiast

Reviewed February 2019
This is a fabulous gran reserva from a very good but lightly heralded vintage. Aromas of spiced plum, black olive, fig, tobacco and cassis come together like a puzzle. A deep, pure palate shows near-perfect balance, while this tastes of plum, berry fruits and earthy spice. Smooth, elegant and chocolaty on the finish, this delivers all one can ask for from Rioja. *Editors’ Choice* (MS)

Professional Reviews

94

John Gilman

Review Date: 11/2025
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.

94

Vinous

Review Date: 02/2019
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)

93

Wine Advocate

Review Date: 02/2018
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+

Notes

The historic, Haro-based winery of Cune produces Imperial Gran Reserva only in very good vintages, in limited quantities, and it is always their most structured and age worthy cuvée. Based on high-quality Rioja Alta fruit, from their best vineyards, it is a wine that is one of the most iconic bottlings in Rioja, as its impressive presence of back vintages in many of northern Spain´s best restaurants certainly attests. A fantastic wine from one of the most important names in Rioja.

Details

OriginRioja, Spain
Type/VarietalTempranillo
SKU1388479
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