2010 Contino Gran Reserva Rioja Magnum (1.5 L) Magnum

It doesn’t matter that we have visited Viñedos del Contino in Rioja more times than we can count—there are a few things about it that will never get old. Like pulling up to the ivy-covered 16th-century manor house. Like watching golden light settle on the vines as the sun sets over the Ebro river. And of course, anticipating the bottle that winemaker Jesús Madrazo brings up from the cool Contino cellar.

But during our visit last fall, Jesús didn’t just bring up a bottle. He lugged up a magnum—one with a label so crisp and white that it could have been applied yesterday. It was Contino’s Gran Reserva Rioja, from the best-ever 2010 vintage. When we asked him why the big bottle, Jesús just laughed. “Big bottle?” he said. “Es la mas pequeña que tengo.”

Jesús wasn’t being cheeky. Contino didn’t bottle the 2010 Gran Reserva in anything smaller than a magnum, and as soon as he poured us a sip, we knew why: A bigger bottle allows for more graceful aging, and after a decade, the 2010 Gran Reserva is showing a perfect balance of mature depth and youthful energy. It boasts aromas of black fruit and tea leaves, a gorgeously constructed palate of blackberry and kirsch, along with ground cinnamon, clove and mocha spice. This is Rioja of both power and graceful polish, and James Sucking nailed it in his 98-point review: the 2010 Contino is “still a baby,” but “already excellent.” 

It turns out that the wine Jesús poured us came from a cache that hasn’t budged since being bottled, so you can bet we extracted as many of those pristine magnums as we could. But with rare wines like this, what we get never seems to be enough. So don’t delay, because whether you want to lay it down for another decade, or build a dinner party around it next month, this magnum—straight from the 16th-century cellars at Contino—can’t miss. 

It’s no surprise that Contino ages like a First Growth: The estate is modeled after the classified châteaux of Bordeaux, and critic Jancis Robinson has designated the winery part of “the aristocracy” of the region. Contino owns more than 150 acres of some of the best terroir in Rioja—land that boasts alluvial soils and vines that date back to the 1930s—and since its founding in 1973, has consistently put out some of the finest Reservas and Gran Reservas in Spain

Producing a Gran Reserve in 2010 was a given, since Rioja turned in a season that Wine Advocate rated with 95 points, the highest score they had ever given the region. Contino’s decision to bottle the 2010 Gran Reserva in large format bottles is essentially a prescription to cellar the wine, as large bottles limit the wine’s oxygen exposure, which slows the ageing process. But at this point, it’s safe to say you can’t go wrong. The 2010 is ready to enjoy now with a hour-long decant, and well-equipped for a stint in the cellar. Either way, it’s a must-have showpiece from one of the best vintages ever in Rioja. Your future self, as well as the friends you choose to share it with, will thank you.