C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Reserva

Tasted at DiverXo in Madrid. Decanted for approx. 1h which I would suggest to do. Distinctly malty with additions of pipe tobacco, scented cigarillo and cold smoke. A red berry fruit core. Leafy herbal aromatics. Softly textured palate with tannin molten away, but still pulling off great balance, fruit presence and good length. With time this develops more density and adds notes of pressed flowers, dark raisins and Ristretto flavors. This stood like an A throughout the long lunch and …

1981 vintage

No notes taken. This is in a glorious stage with loads of malty notes, a nuttiness and coffee aromas at the core, with just hints of fruit, herbs, minerality and tobacco in the background. The beautiful sweetness mostly comes from fine honey notes. Still good tension and verve but so soft and with a perfect balance. Handly won the duel against the 1996 (95pts) in the next glass, which showed not less complex but a bit more wild and not …

1981 vintage

Oh yes, this is proper rioja, on your favourite leather sofa in front of the fire, probably smoking a pipe. Still some good cherry fruit nicely mixed with some exotic spices, fresh, food friendly and good length, a cracking bottle

1981 vintage

Cabotte Fourball - 24/06/24 (Cabotte, London) : Smoky plum fruit, tobacco and well polished mahogany dresser. Some soil tones too. Classic mature Rioja in a lovely place. With air nose develops some hot coals and grenadine. Palate is rich and spiced with a lovely savouriness to it. With air a selection of subtle aromas come and go amongst them blackcurrant leaf, peanut skin, some dill pickle vinegar some conkers and some some fully ripe strawberries. A cool fruited core remains. …

1981 vintage

A good if not top flight bottle of this. Gentle ruby to full garnet. Classic mature Rioja nose of warm leather, residual vanilla and a whiff of the confessional. No orange peel as yet. Yup, does what it says on the label. Harmonious pleasure. ****

1981 vintage

This was a pure stunner, exemplary aged deliciously balanced Reserva. Bright medium garnet colour. Medium+ intensity classical complex aroma of leather, autumn leaves, bacon, smoky cherries, cassis, pot puri. Medium body, feels pure and bright with great concentration, medium density, beautifully intertwined layered fruity, secondary and tertiary flavours, salty touches, medium+ acidity, medium tannins, long meaty, smoky and spiced finish. Enjoy now or for another decade at least.

1981 vintage

Having enjoyed twice previously, my fingers were crossed that this bottle would be another star. I wasn't disappointed. The cork was fully saturated but the wine poured a bright, clear cedar colour. Remarkable nose of pot pourri, autumn leaves and cedar. A glorious mouthfeel of secondary and tertiary fruit flavours with excellent concentration and persistence. Elicited a few wows from first timers to this vintage. Such a treat!

1981 vintage

Q4 2910 Wine Club - Aged Spaniards (The Apt) : Wine #8: This was probably my favorite of the group. Darker red fruits with a nice balance of spice and a great balance to the wine that comes from age without being over the hill. Had been opened prob two hours in advance and was decanted which helped it I think. Very nice. (11 pennies)

1981 vintage

Opened and decanted. Always fun to get a birth year wine. Was drinking very well. Ready for business faster than some other old Rioja and enjoyable.

1981 vintage

Barnyaer, bacon, spices. Some camphor. Very balanced and expressive. Long finish. In excellent shape. Becomes even better after a day in the open bottle.

1981 vintage

A good rather than great bottle of this. Lovely trad Rioja nose with warm leather, mellow red fruit and a touch of orange peel. Similar on palate. Bright acidity. Lovely line and length. Just missing a little mid palate complexity and stuffing on the finish cf previous bottles. Coped will with richly sauced hare fillets. ****

1981 vintage

Dinner at S.K.Y. (Chicago, IL) : My last bottle of this six pack that I picked up last year. This is pretty much what you point to when someone asks you what does Rioja taste like. A little bit of funk, barnyard, black fruit, a hint of American oak, it's all there and in perfect integration and interplay. The palate is restrained, but large-scaled, earthy, and fruity, and just dirty enough to remind you of its relatively rustic nature.

1981 vintage

A harsher expression than I am accustomed to from the reserva bottling. Could have benefited from more time in the decanter, but really needs more time in the bottle. Some heat on the backpalate.

1981 vintage

Full ruby, dense with just a hint of garnet around the gills. Classic trad Rioja nose. Just the faintest hint of orange peel maturity, this is younger and a little tighter than previous bottles. Lots here. ****

1981 vintage

Dinner at The Bristol (Chicago, IL) : This was probably better than my last bottle -- it seems like this wine just keeps getting better and better every month. Despite all the sweat, funk, meat, and animale, the nose on this is absolutely stunning. There's tons of sweet black fruit here that balances it out. The American oak seems to have gone on vacation here, or it has been assimilated into the wine very well. The palate has a black-fruited …

1981 vintage

An amazing bottle of aged Rioja. Full nose has so many layers and dimensions -- dark dried fruit, earth and mushroom, funk, leather, herbs and some spice. Palate is medium-bodied with good concentration and fresh acids. Layered and complex. Awesome.

1981 vintage

Salil does Chicago 3; 4/6/2017-4/8/2017 (Chicago, IL) : This was the best bottle yet of my six. Just the right amount of dirty. There's that classic Rioja funk with its barnyard and sweat and meat. But that's all coupled with really dense and ripe black fruit. The palate shows much of the same, with a very nice acidity-driven lightness over all that dense material. Absolutely brilliant.

1981 vintage

Fantastic wine - so savoury and earthy with leathery and mushroomy funk around a core of red and black fruit that's still remarkably fresh and vibrant. Air brings out more dried herbal and floral scents, and the palate presence is lovely, very light and elegant though I find this just a touch astringent on the finish.

1981 vintage

Nuanced dark soil tones to this bottle, complementing the dark red fruit. But this was somewhat offset by an ever so slight underlying stewey character.

1981 vintage

Dinner with the TCWC guys (Osteria Langhe, Chicago IL) : Nose: The nose is drop dead gorgeous and deep with leather tones, earth, dill, herbs, sour red cherries, raspberries, roses, spice tones, and some mushrooms. Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and medium tannins. The structure is resolved with the tannins being more in a supporting role. The feel is demure and refined with earth tones, leather, dill, herbs, sour red cherries, and raspberries. Overall: This is a stunning wine …

1981 vintage

Dinner at Osteria Langhe (Chicago, IL) : Third bottle from a six-pack that I bought a year ago, and I've been consistently pleased by this wine. It really doesn't get more Rioja-like than this. The nose is barnyard, sweat, animale, and poop, but the palate is black-fruited, sweet, and much, much cleaner. There's good ripeness, balanced acidity, and tannins well on their way towards integration. I'm a fan.

1981 vintage

HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL) : This bottle was showing splendidly. The nose has a fair bit of earth and dead leaves, as well as a touch of meat. The palate has a light bit of perfumed red florals, as well as coarser tannins but lovely lightness and fresh acidity. I've been very pleased with how this was showing.

1981 vintage

"Smells like warm meat," J. said. The nose on this was initially a little dirty and muted, but air brings out some sweet cherry and plum, a fair bit of sweaty earth, and a little bit of coconutty oak. The palate shows lots of life, with many of the same flavours, but focussed more on the dirt. The fruit is sweet but veering towards the less ripe side. Plenty of juicy acidity keeps things fresh. Tannins are still a little …

1981 vintage

Nice richness to the nose. Palate was rewarding but not as deep as it can be. Consumed with bacalao and farro

1981 vintage

Light funk on nose, rich dark fruit, expressive soil tones. For all of its intensity, this was already soft and velvety. Great bottle

1981 vintage

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C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Reserva

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