2019 Contino Reserva

Violet, strawberry, raspberry and orange-peel aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, with minerality and brightness. Vivid. A wonderful change here. Energy. So much purity. Drink or hold. (04/2023)

A stylish red, medium-bodied and light on its feet, but with generosity to the ripe black cherry, rose hip, crushed boysenberry and singed apple wood notes. Packs a creamy profile defined by refined tannins and hints of iron and spices, which emerge on the finish. Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano and Garnacha. Drink now through 2029. 25,936 cases made, 500 cases imported.

- A.N.

The grapes for the 2019 Reserva were picked earlier than in 2018, and they achieved lower alcohol in a warmer vintage. The wine is 13.89% alcohol, but picking early and with a shorter cycle in a hurried ripeness also means less aroma and flavor development. The warmer year delivered a higher pH, and the wine comes through as a little softer and with riper flavors. There are 313,666 bottles and 3,500 magnums of this. It was bottled in March 2022, after 18 months in barrel.

- Luis Gutiérrez (07/2022)