Winemaker Notes
Brilliant yellow color with subtle golden reflections. It displays pronounced aromatic intensity and remarkable complexity, with prominent notes of orchard fruits and delicate florals—green apple, ripe pear, white currant, and dried chamomile. Hints of fine patisserie, baked fruit, and gentle spice nuances from the extended aging complete the bouquet. On the palate, the wine opens with finesse and freshness, evolving into a textured, savory mid-palate with refined salinity and a soft grip of tannin that adds depth and elegance. A vibrant acidity sustains the long, layered finish, making it a wine of great personality and versatility, perfect for both contemplation and enjoyment.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Popcorn, honey, matchsticks, moss, sea urchin and roasted cashews on the nose. Salty and concentrated but composed and really long. There is a Sherry touch to it, but the reductive feel makes it such a striking and paradoxical wine. Bring this wine to a dinner and you'd be talking about it all night. Aged in old 600-liter Sherry butts. Drink now or hold.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The white 2017 Monopole Clásico Gran Reserva had the same vinification as the Monopole Clásico but with a longer élevage, almost seven years! It has moderate alcohol (13.5%) and very good freshness and acidity parameters (pH of 3.21 and 6.45 grams of acidity). It has a very expressive and different nose, more oxidative and spicier, with more effect from the yeasts, with a touch of honey and also a touch of diesel. Seems like time concentrated everything, including acidity... It smells more like the Corona, possibly the effect of the cave where they age... There were three barrels and three Sherry butts, a small lot that made for 2,730 bottles.
Cvne, is situated in Rioja in the traditional neighborhood of the station, where the oldest wineries of Rioja Alta established themselves, for the main reason of transporting their goods to the port of Bilbao.
In 1879, two brothers decided to set up a business in the recently flourishing trade of the wine business. C.V.N.E., Compañía Vinicola del Norte de España (The Northern Spanish Wine Company) or la Cuné, as it is commonly known in Haro, was created. This cellar still reflects the origins of the company and is kept in the traditional neighborhood of the Haro station.
The Cune winery in Haro, is made up of a group of buildings, mostly from the 19th century and arranged around a courtyard surrounded by pavilions for the purpose of wine production, aging, and bottling.
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.