CVNE : Real de Asúa "Carromaza" 2019

A fine Rioja red wine with a pleasant balance and complexity

The estate

The history of CVNE or Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España began in 1879. This family-owned winery was founded by two brothers in the Haro train station area of the Rioja region in Spain. The strategic location of the company enabled the marketing of the bodega's wines to flourish, facilitating the transport of wine barrels and bottling process. Since then, the fifth generation has continued the family legacy, with the company now becoming one of Spain's leading wine groups.

CVNE has a vineyard of 545 hectares that is spread over exceptional terroirs in the La Rioja Alta and La Rioja Alavesa areas.

The wine

Since its first vintage in 1994, the Real de Asúa vintage has been a vibrant tribute to the Real de Asúa brothers, the founders of the estate.

Produced until 2018 from several plots in the village of Villalba, in the Rioja Alta region, this wine has commenced a new chapter in its story. The latest innovation from the estate, CVNE's Real de Asúa "Carromaza" 2019 is a Rioja wine made exclusively from grapes stemming from the eponymous plots. Covering an area of 2.37 hectares, the Carromaza vineyard is the highest on the estate (between 530 and 555 metres above sea level). Protected from the constant wind by the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria, the trellised vineyards benefit from an Atlantic climate.

The vintage

The year 2019 was marked by low yields resulting from significant temperature variations and heavy rainfall between flowering and fruit set. The mild conditions afterwards allowed us to harvest healthy grapes that boasted an excellent quality.

Vinification and ageing

Harvested by hand, the grapes are transferred cold (10°C) to the winery and then the night before vinification. Double sorting on the vine and in the cellar. Light crushing before vatting by gravity in a sixth-fill French oak tank. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts, along with punching down. Post-fermentation maceration before racking to new French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. Aged for 12 months in new or one-year-old French oak barrels.

The blend

Tempranillo (100%).

CVNE Real de Asúa "Carromaza" 2019: Characteristics and tasting tips

The tasting

Colour
Dark, with a beautiful hue reminiscent of black cherries.

Nose
The intense nose blends fruity (wild berries, blueberries, redcurrants) and liquorice fragrances with delicious notes of clove, smoke and caramel conferred by the ageing period.

Palate
The suave mouthfeel reveals its fine tannins, its balance and its unctuousness as the wine is tasted.

Service

For an optimal tasting, serve at 18°C.