2018 Contino Reserva

2018 Contino Reserva

A great Rioja that drinks well now and has excellent cellar potential

This Spanish Rioja has fresh aromas of black cherries and blackberries, all with undertones of earth and leather. The flavors meld together really well, but stop short of being perfect. This wine has plenty of power to it and the complexities it holds have not all been brought forward. This has the backbone for further cellaring that will bring those earth and leather notes forward and tone the power down just a bit. Some further bottle aging of about 2-5 years is recommended to hit the sweet spot on this wine. If you want to drink this now, I strongly suggest pairing with a matching power of red meat. This pairs well with steaks, but this was paired recently with smoked brisket and it worked wonderfully.

Score: 93/100

Price point: $36 CAD

On the Nose: black cherry, blackberry, earth, leather

On the palate: black cherry, blackberry, earth

Structure: full bodied, medium tannins, high acidity, dry