Viña Real 1962 Gran Reserva

Wine: Viña Real 1962 Gran Reserva

Winery: CVNE - Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (Haro, La Rioja)
Appellation / Zone: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 10% Mazuelo, Graciano, and Viura.
ABV: 13.6% vol.

Winemaking

The wine remained for 12 months in vats to complete malolactic fermentation and settle before wood aging. The majority of the wine matured for a minimum of 60 months in semi-new 225-liter barrels (70% American oak, 30% French). Depending on the vintage, it rested between 48 and 100 months in the winery’s underground bottle racks. Commercialized in the mid-1970s. Recorked, relabeled, and sealed with wax in August 2011.

 

Tasting Notes

 

Appearance: Garnet-ruby color with medium body; clean and translucent. It displays brilliant reddish and amber reflections. The rim is wide and orange.

 

Nose: Resounding on the nose, as powerful as it is complex. One of those bottles opened at the exact right moment; precisely when it has reached its absolute zenith after 40 years in the bottle. This Viña Real has it all. Supremely elegant. It presents itself smoky, misty, and autumnal, with a vast spectrum of tertiary aromas: morels, fungi, undergrowth, charcoal pits, beechwood embers, and Périgord truffle. Tremendous. Its stature and tension are defiant. It gains even more depth with mineral notes of graphite, flint, and whetstone. Served at 45-60 minute intervals to observe its evolution, it is a true spectacle. The wine sheds every unnecessary artifice, revealing the finest oak, luxury toast, and finally—as a parting gift—the freshest and most generous red fruit imaginable. Blessed be the Garnacha that once graced Viña Real. A slap in the face to those who once dismissed this grape.

 

Palate: Simplicity itself on the palate. The entry is silky and velvety, flooding the mouth with freshness and a sense of absolute integrity. As ample as it is long, full of fruit, savory, and brimming with vigor, featuring an exquisite hint of sweetness (the Garnacha returns) and a spicy finish. Wines like this inspire dreams and justify any price.

 

Commentary

The 1962 Gran Reserva is a legendary testament to the golden era of CVNE. This specific bottle, recorked in 2011, shows a staggering structural preservation. It is a masterpiece of balance where the ruggedness of the Alavesa soil meets the ethereal sweetness of historic Garnacha. A profound, emotional wine that stands as one of the greatest expressions of Rioja ever bottled. A couple of bottles remain safely tucked away in the cellar.

 

Personal Score: 98
Tasting Group Average: 99