Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A really fresh and serious nose here with mineral, subtle cream and freshly squeezed lemon zest. Lime and a hint of meringue, too. This is really zingy, chalky, fresh and packed with a very taut mid-palate and a long, mouthwatering finish. Effortless drinkability and you barely feel any alcohol here. A hint of white almond at the end. 80% viura and 20% garnacha blanca. Exciting! Drink or hold.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of nectarine, Honeycrisp apple and white chocolate with a touch of oyster shell emanate from the glass. Flavors of passion fruit, lemon-lime, crème brûlée and orange blossom mingle with lively acidity and then evaporate into a citrus- and floral-infused finish. Drink through 2031.
Cellar Selection -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The white 2021 Blanco wants to go back to the traditional whites from Rioja with aging potential but keeping the floral and fruit-driven character using 500-liter barrels. It's mostly Viura, with 20% Garnacha Blanca, and it has a moderate 12.44% alcohol and amazing freshness and acidity parameters (pH 3.07 and 7.01 grams of acidity). This feels like a light vintage, and it's more herbal (fennel emerges with time...), balsamic and with a smoky touch. It has lower alcohol and, therefore, more noticeable acidity and ends with a dry, chalky finish. The oak is nicely integrated (they stopped using 225-liter barrels for this wine), and the palate is fine-boned, lively and lighter than in the initial vintages..
Rating: 93+ -
Vinous
One of the three single-vineyard bottlings from the Contino vineyard, the 2021 San Gregorio is a blend of 80% Viura and 20% Garnacha Blanca sourced from the bank of the Ebro River in Laserna, Rioja. Aged for 12 months in 500-liter barrels, this faintly golden white wine presents a subtle, fruit-forward nose with notes of pineapple and pear, complemented by hints of mint and fennel—the hallmark of Viura—against an oaky backdrop. Dry, rich and refreshing, the wood contributes a velvety texture, supported by a heightened acid core. The San Gregorio is intense and full of flavor.
-
Wine Spectator
A sleek, graceful white, with well-honed acidity defining a rich range of quince paste and dried apricot flavors. Offers vanilla, petrol and dried mint accents through the persistent, spiced finish. Drink now through 2031.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
A majority of Viura is blended with Garnacha Blanca in the 2021 Blanco, from the estate San Gregorio Vineyard. Medium-bodied, it has a rounded, elegant mouthfeel of dried nut and dried apricot, with memorable aromatics of toasted oak. It has a vibrantly fresh hint of saline.
Contino, the first Rioja château 1973, impelled by CVNE and the owners of the 62-hectare property located in the Rioja Alavesa. The history of the property dates from the 16th century, and is reflected in its name. The “contino” was the officer in charge of a guard corps of a hundred soldiers who protected the royal family "de contino” (continuously) from the times of the Catholic Monarchs onwards. According to the tradition, Saint Gregory, the patron saint of vineyards, passed through the lands of this same Rioja property, giving rise to the use of his figure in the logo of this winery, and to the use of his name for some of the plots now planted with vines. The wine produced on this property, fruity and elegant, is heir to the best Rioja tradition. It is made with an individualised grape harvesting system in which only grapes from the same vineyards that surround the old manor house are used. Their origin in the various plots is noted. The perfect combination of soils, Atlantic-Mediterranean climate and refined technique have made Contino, more than 30 years after the first vintage, a reference product both in and outside Spain. The 62 hectares of Laserna vineyards in Laguardia are protected by the hill called the Cerro de la Mesa, which gives this land a characteristic orientation and mesoclimate. The hand-cut grapes are transported along a short road to the outbuildings so as to avoid damaging their qualities.
Commonly found as a single varietal white or blended with Malavasia and Grenache Blanc, Viura is a vital, leading white grape of Rioja. It also thrives in the lower elevations of the Penedes, where it takes the name Macabeo and adds aromatic and fruity notes to the traditional Cava blend with Parellada and Xarel-lo. Somm Secret—Called Macabeu in France, this versatile grape is prevalent in Roussillon where it makes still, sparkling, dry and sweet wines.
Highly regarded for distinctive and age-worthy red wines, Rioja is Spain’s most celebrated wine region. Made up of three different sub-regions of varying elevation: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental. Wines are typically a blend of fruit from all three, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta, at the highest elevation, is considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier Rioja Oriental produce wines with deep color and higher alcohol, which can add great body and richness to a blend.
Fresh and fruity Rioja wines labeled, Joven, (meaning young) see minimal aging before release, but more serious Rioja wines undergo multiple years in oak. Crianza and Reserva styles are aged for one year in oak, and Gran Reserva at least two, but in practice this maturation period is often quite a bit longer—up to about fifteen years.
Tempranillo provides the backbone of Rioja red wines, adding complex notes of red and black fruit, leather, toast and tobacco, while Garnacha supplies body. In smaller percentages, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) often serve as “seasoning” with additional flavors and aromas. These same varieties are responsible for flavorful dry rosés.
White wines, typically balancing freshness with complexity, are made mostly from crisp, fresh Viura. Some whites are blends of Viura with aromatic Malvasia, and then barrel fermented and aged to make a more ample, richer style of white.