Winemaker Notes
Attractive garnet color with purple hints on the meniscus. High aromatic intensity with forest fruits such as blackberries and wild blueberries, intermingled with black licorice and aromas of vanilla and nutmeg from the barrel ageing. It has a smooth entry on the palate, with a balance between ripe tannins and the freshness typical of this wine. Long and persistent finish with hints of red fruits and sweet spices.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has the best aromatics with mineral-rich citrus fruit notes and much more tension compared to the La Garenne. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry, with a keen thread of acidity and a twist of sour lemon toward the finish. There's plenty of energy in this Puligny. This will age very well in bottle.
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James Suckling
Mocha, toffee and spiced plums on the nose of this creamy, spicy red. It’s medium- to full-bodied with firm but fine and powdery tannins. Chocolate notes to close. Vegan. Drink from 2026.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano in the 2021 Vina Real Crianza are grown only in Rioja Alavesa from the winery’s own vines, with the intent of showcasing the area. Fresh, lively acidity balances dusty tannins and full-bodied berry fruit, the oak well-integrated in the background. Age 10-12 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Viña Real Crianza was produced with 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano that fermented destemmed in stainless steel and matured in French and American oak barrels for 13 to 14 months. It achieved 13.7% alcohol, has a pH of 3.55 and 5.4 grams of acidity. This is a champion in drinkability, with enough complexity and depth, and is balanced and polished. It's very enjoyable, quite fruit-driven and a bit vinous. A surprise for 2022.
Owned by the CVNE family , Viña Real dates back to 1920. Today this winery is not only a winemaking pioneer in ageing Rioja Alavesa but a timeless brand that has always remained faithful to its roots, with authenticity and sincerity at the fore.
Ever since then, a meticulous balance between tradition and modernity has defined the shape and content of Viña Real.
2004 saw the inauguration of the new Viña Real winery in Laguardia, where the whole process takes place from receiving the grapes to dispatching bottled wines.
Rioja Alavesa grapes are at the very heart of this winery. The winery’s name was inspired by the proximity of its vineyards to the old Camino Real. Clinging to this same patch of earth and blending into the Cerro de la Mesa hill is a monumental 30,000-square metre vat: this is the Viña Real building, an iconic design built in 2004 that masterfully blends the construction into the Riojan terrain.
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are 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, great body and richness.