CVNE : Viña Real Reserva 2019

Tasting Notes and Recommendations for Viña Real Reserva 2019 by CVNE

Tasting

Color

The wine displays a deep ruby hue shading toward dark garnet at the rim, with a clear, brilliant sheen.

Nose

The bouquet reveals fine aromatic complexity, with notes of ripe red fruit—especially plum and black cherry—alongside nuances of dried fruits. With aeration, tertiary aromas emerge, evoking damp earth, leather, and dried mushrooms. Hints of sweet spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg round out the profile, complemented by subtle notes of dry tobacco and licorice.

Palate

The attack is balanced and well-structured, with a medium to medium-full body. The finely integrated, ripe tannins provide a smooth, velvety texture. Acidity remains fresh and vibrant, bringing lift to the palate. The finish is long and persistent, with flavors of mature red fruit supported by a slight structural astringency and lingering mineral notes that carry through for several dozen seconds.

Food and Wine Pairings

This wine pairs perfectly with grilled or roasted red meats such as lamb and quality beef. It also elegantly complements game dishes like wild boar or duck, as well as braised meat stews. Aged hard to semi-hard cheeses—especially Manchego and other Iberian cheeses—make outstanding gastronomic matches. Wild mushroom or truffle preparations also highlight the tertiary characteristics developed during aging.

Serving and Cellaring

Viña Real Reserva 2019 can be enjoyed now and will continue to evolve through around 2030.

An Elegant, Complex Rioja Alavesa Reserva from CVNE

The estate

Founded in 1879 in Haro by brothers Eusebio and Raimundo Real de Asúa, Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE) remains a family-owned estate, now led by Victor Urrutia Ybarra and his sister Maria, representing the fifth generation. The Viña Real label, created in 1920, is dedicated specifically to wines from Rioja Alavesa. The group currently oversees eight bodegas across Spain and around 1,000 hectares of vineyards. In 2004, CVNE inaugurated a spectacular architectural bodega in Laguardia, designed by Philippe Mazieres and opened by King Juan Carlos I. The house stands out for its commitment to sustainability, having achieved Gold Member status with the International Wineries for Climate Action in 2024.

The vineyard

Viña Real’s vineyards span around 600 hectares in Rioja Alavesa, concentrated around the villages of Laguardia and Elciego. Situated at elevations between 500 and 650 meters, they benefit from predominantly limestone soils with sandy components and low organic matter content. The vines, with an average age of over 30 years, are trained as bush vines without irrigation, forcing roots to grow deep in search of water and nutrients. This relative soil poverty naturally concentrates aromas and phenolic compounds in the grapes, giving the wines a distinctive minerality and remarkable aromatic complexity.

The vintage

The year 2019 delivered a favorable vintage profile in Rioja, marked by a particularly harmonious balance between ripeness at harvest and the preservation of natural acidity. This vintage produced ripe wines without excess, maintaining freshness and balance—two essential qualities for crafting Reserva-style wines that express both the ripe fruit and the tannic elegance typical of Rioja Alavesa.

Winemaking and aging

Winemaking for Viña Real Reserva 2019 begins with a pre-fermentation cold soak at a controlled temperature of around 10–12°C, allowing gradual extraction of aromatic compounds and anthocyanins. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks between 28–30°C, with pump-overs and rack-and-return to optimize extraction. After tasting, pressing is carried out by gravity flow. The wine is then racked into concrete tanks before the main aging period of 22 months in equal parts French and American oak barrels. Manual racking is performed every four months during the first year. After bottling, the wine rests for a further 18 months in the cellars before release.

Grape varieties

Tempranillo (90%)
Garnacha, graciano, mazuelo (10%)