2012 Cune Rioja Imperial Reserva 750 ml

Cune was the first Spanish producer ever to be honored as Wine Spectator’s #1 wine of the year, and their high performance continues with the 2012 Cune Imperial Reserva Rioja. "They're really doing it right,” says Spectator executive editor Thomas Matthews, who has heaped a bevy of praise on this stalwart Rioja producer that was founded in 1879. “They grow their own grapes. They are very careful about the wine-making. They're just honest hardworking people.” Matthews says that Cune finds the balance "between traditional and modernity that I think people want to drink right now." We’re not the only ones in total agreement: Wine Enthusiast gave the 2012 Imperial Reserva 93 points and declared it a “Cellar Selection,” citing “plenty of power.” Tim Atkin MW called it “dense, dark and structured” in his 94-point review. This is an exemplary Rioja from one of Spain’s most revered wineries.

Every classic wine region in the world has a handful of legendary producers whose wines have set the standards and shaped the traditions. In Rioja, none stands taller than Cune. Wine Spectator’s selection of Cune’s 2004 Imperial Gran Reserva as their #1 wine of the year made Cune the first Spanish wine to be so honored. That accolade raised the worldwide profile of a winery that has been synonymous with Rioja since 1879.

Cune continues to evolve, embracing modern winemaking techniques while maintaining their strong connection to the past. They chill the fruit down before fermentation, and ferment in both stainless steel tanks and oak vats. Aging the wine in a combination of New and used American and French oak creates subtle dimensional changes allows for full expression of the area’s terroir, and keeps any one component from dominating the wine’s profile.

The fruit for the 2012 Imperial Reserva comes from Cune’s oldest, most prized plots surrounding the mountain town of Villalba, where 45- to 80-year-old vines that push their way through cracked, rugged soils of Rioja Alta at around 1,800 feet. 2012 was a long, dry vintage, but when the rains came in late September, fruit ripened and sugars and acidity struck harmonious balance, resulting in a classic Tempranillo blend graced with a little Graciano and Mazuelo. As the world has been expecting of Cune for over a century, this is a modern classic, done right.