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Rioja
Imperial Reserve
75cl bottle - 2020
The wine Imperial Reserva comes from vineyards over 40 years old in Villalba, Briones and Torremontalbo, with a majority of Tempranillo grapes. The grapes are selected and fermented in oak and aged for 24 months in American and French oak barrels. It has a garnet color, with complex aromas of berries and spices, and in the mouth it is smooth, elegant and fresh, ideal to accompany red meats, game and cheeses.
WineSpectator
93 Puntos
James Suckling
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TimAtkin
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RP's Wine Advocate
93+ Puntos
Peñín Guide
92 Puntos
Production Zone
Rioja
Type of wine
Red
Winery
Imperial
Aging
Reserva
Format
75cl
Grape variety used
Tempranillo: 85% : Graciano, mazuelo and garnacha: 15%
Alcohol content
13%
Characteristics of the vineyard
The grapes for Imperial come from our own vineyards in Villalba, Briones and Torremontalbo.
In Villalba, the small Remedio and Encinas estates, located between 550 and 650 m above sea level, very close to the Sierra de Toloño and with a climate of Atlantic and continental influence. These are farms of 12 hectares out of the 42 hectares owned by CVNE in this municipality.
In Torremontalbo, our San Quilez and Pico de Águila vineyards are located at an altitude of 450m and a somewhat more moderate climate than the Villalba plots. There are about 30 hectares of the total of 70 hectares owned by CVNE. Next door in Briones, Imperial selects 10 hectares on property (house vineyard).
All these vineyards are over 40 years old, the main variety is Tempranillo, although there are intermingled vines of other Rioja varieties such as Garnacha and Graciano. The soils are calcareous clay, poor in organic matter and of low production, mostly oriented to the south and with goblet pruning.
Winemaking characteristics
The grapes for the production of Imperial 2020 are selected in the vineyard and harvested by hand on pallets with a maximum capacity of 300 kgs. The grapes are kept refrigerated until they are transferred to the winery where, upon arrival, a second selection is made, removing the clusters and grapes that we consider do not have the quality required for the production of Imperial. .
Alcoholic fermentation takes place in oak vats of different capacities, 80, 120 and 160 Hl depending on the size of the estate, and we use our own selected yeasts in the vineyards destined for Imperial. Maceration lasts approximately 20 days, during which we alternate different types of pumping-over depending on the evolution of the fermentation and the tasting of the wine.
Malolactic fermentation takes place in concrete and wood before aging in 30% American oak barrels and 70% French oak barrels, being new and of one wine.
We keep the wine from the different vineyards separately, each estate ages the wine in the type of barrel that best suits its organoleptic characteristics and it is at the end of the aging process that we carry out the final assemblage before fining and bottling.
24 months in barrel, the rest in bottle (minimum 12 months) until its release to the market.
Harvest information
The harvest of Imperial begins on September 10 in the Torremontalbo area and ends on October 7, 2020 in our Villalba vineyards.
The 175-day vegetative cycle was marked by rainfall, sometimes with hail in very localized plots. High rainfall and mild temperatures contributed to an advance of about 15 days in the harvest date compared to the previous year.
Harvesting was very selective depending on the results of the controls, as ripening was uneven due to the adverse weather conditions during the cycle.
The grapes entered the winery in very good health, resulting in fresh wines, with lower alcohol content than the previous year and very positive organoleptic qualities.
The great quality of the grapes allows us to predict the production of great wines suitable for aging.
Tasting notes
High cherry-red cherry color.
In nose its aromatic capacity is intense and complex, with fruity notes accompanied by toasted and balsamic notes typical of a very well assembled oak. The palate is full and fleshy, with body and structure that give it a long and pleasant persistence on the palate. It is a silky, velvety and very elegant wine.
As a pairing we recommend a good company, red meats, stews, game, cheeses, or simply to taste it alone in a relaxed atmosphere.
Recommended serving temperature 18ºC.
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