1968 Vina Real Gran Reserva
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Tasting notes
The even vintages of the 1960s were all amazing. The 1968 Viña Real Gran Reserva was harvested after the May student riots in France, the year that Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were killed and Stanley Kubrick directed "2001: A Space Odyssey." It was a short crop for Viña Real, but of excellent quality. The vegetative cycle was long, 210 days. The wine was fermented in cement vats and aged in used American oak barriques until bottling in May 1974, at the same time as the 1966. A great classical wine, the Rioja prototype, with red fruit (think Garnacha!), leather, spices and smoke. Classical? You bet! "Lady Madonna," "Jumping Jack Flash," ("Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," "What a Wonderful World" and "Hey Jude"! They are all as classic as this Rioja, which is richly balsamic, fine, elegant and light in the palate, but with subtle energy and very tasty umami-like flavors. Mmm! Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
A very good vintage (excellent according to CVNE's internal assessment), with a long vegetative cycle of 210 days, which resulted in a total production of 89 million litres in Rioja, quite low compared with the 135 million of 1964 or the 128 million of 1973. Great complexity on the nose, leather, meat, spices (curry), smoke… In the mouth it is austere, intense, balanced, with lots of red fruits. A great classical wine. (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.