CVNE / Bodegas Contino: Rioja CVNE Monopole Clasico Gran Reserva 2017

Weingut über: Rioja CVNE Monopole Clasico Gran Reserva

-- Weingut: The grapes come from our own vineyards in Villalba, a village at the foot of Obarenes mountains. The wines are pruned on trellises for protection, due to the predominant wind on the plot . Altitude above 600 meters.The plot is called “La Plana”, meaning “flat”, but despite its name, the vineyard is planted on an east-facing slope. The wines are dry-farmed on predominantly free-draining sandy soils which cause a constant but gentle water stress in the wines. This in turn leads to low yields of loose bunches with small, concent rated berries. All vineyard tasks including harvest are done manually. Once the grapes achieved optimum ripeness, the bunches were picked by hand into small crates, this being done very early in the morning to take advantage of the coolest daily temperatures. The crates were then transported immediately to the winery where they were held in a refrigerated chamber for 24 hours to preserve aromas and avoid oxidation. The yield of this vineyard is very low, resulting in the limited production volume of the wine. The grapes were pressed gently in a small pneumatic wine press and fermentation subsequently took place in used barrels of 400 litres and “botas” of 500 litres. The wine was then aged for 60 months in 3 used Rioja barrels and 2 even older “bot as sanluqueñas”. The wine has not been clarified in order to reflect the methods of bygone times and where the long aging in barrel allowed the wine to fall bright and clarify naturally. The care in the vineyard, a quality raw material and a traditional elaboration result in this special wine of great complexity.