1952 Vina Real Gran Reserva
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Tasting notes
An extremely fine bottle of this wine that grew in the glass. At first it seemed more brutal than the Viña Real 1962 served blind alongside but really came up in the glass and seemed more youthful. Mid blackish ruby. Very obviously sweet with a hint of mint. Admirably clean and fresh. Became increasingly interesting and layered. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Comparisons can be tedious. Especially if you are compared with the 1954. The 1952 Viña Real Gran Reserva was very good, but not as good as most of us were expecting. The wine is from the same year Eva Perón died, Steven Seagal was born, the vaccination against polio was discovered, the first edition of the Miss Universe pageant was held, Elizabeth II was proclaimed Queen of Great Britain after the death of her father, King George VI, and cinemas showed the openings of "Singin' in the Rain" and Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show on Earth." Yes, comparisons. In the U.S. the President was Harry S. Truman. In Rioja, 1952 was a great overall vintage with a long vegetative cycle (212 days), a cool July and a dry and warm August, which resulted in a somehow austere and different wine. This is not the best bottle of the 1952, as it showed evolution with some sweet aromas and beef blood hints of iron, slightly oxidative. The palate is polished and shows traces of what must have been grainy tannins. This is probably on its way down, so drink in the next five years or so. As was often the case in the old times, the wine was not bottled until May 1965. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2020.
Long vegetative cycle of 212 days, July was cool, but August was very warm and dry. A very good vintage that has lasted well. Bottled in May 1965. Austere, suffers because the flight includes the superb 1959 and monumental 1954. Complex, a little green but has lots of balance. A little schizophrenic? Ripe and green. It just suffers by comparison. (LG)
About the producer
CVNE, or Compañía Vinicola del Norte de España (the Northern Spanish Wine Company), is one of Rioja’s leading names. With its various brands – Cune, Viña Real, Contino and Imperial – CVNE produces both large volumes and high quality, with its Imperial Gran Reserva one of the region’s finest wines.