Viña Real 1964

Viña Real – CVNE – Reserva Especial – 1964

CVNE or CUNE (“coo-ney”) stands for “Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España”, the bodega that makes Viña Real, and it is one of the more traditional Rioja establishments. Traditional is definitely a good thing in Rioja, and 1964 is sometimes quoted as the best Rioja vintage ever, so expectations for this wine are high. Reserva Especial is a categorization only declared in the best years.

It is quite brown around the rim, as one would expect in such an aged wine, but I have seen wines plenty browner. Startlingly, the bouquet is still quite primary, offering red fruit blended in with the traditional Rioja oak. (Which does not dominate as it does in the red Tondonia.) On the palate, it is mature but impressively well conserved, with smooth tannins supporting a fruit-and-tea character. Soon, secondaries emerge, notes of both fresh orange and overripe, slightly rotting oranges. The red fruit character becomes more like raspberry (a classic Tempranillo note) and the vanilla cream from the oak more pronounced. 

Lesser vintages of this wine may not have lasted so well, but this smooth and beautifully preserved wine feels like it is in no particular rush to be drunk.