1987 Vina Real Gran Reserva
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Tasting notes
1987 was a very dry year in Rioja, with only 286 liters of rain compared with the average 450. It is the first Rioja vintage I remember well; I drank a lot of it in the early 1990s. At the time Ronald Reagan was President of the United States and Aretha Franklin was the first woman to be admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was a good harvest for tennis, as both Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic were born then. If you were around, chances are you went to see the film, “Good Morning, Vietnam." The 1987 Viña Real Gran Reserva is a gentle wine with plenty of animal aromas, developing iodine already over a core of red fruit and underbrush. The palate is a bit serious and austere, bright and round, a very complete Rioja. This is drinking beautifully today, but will surely keep well. It was fermented in cement tanks in the winery at Elciego (as was the case between the mid-1940s and the late 1990s) and aged in barrel until bottling in June 1992. The year saw a cold summer and a warm winter, and there was great diversity in music hits, such as: “Walk Like an Egyptian” (The Bangles), “Livin' on a Prayer” (Bon Jovi), “Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now” (Starship), “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For” (U2), “Alone” (Heart), “La Bamba” (Los Lobos), “Who's That Girl” (Madonna), “Didn't We Almost Have It All” (Whitney Houston), “Here I Go Again” (Whitesnake), “Bad” (Michael Jackson), “Mony Mony” (Billy Idol), “Faith” (George Michael). Can we agree that the 1980s were better for music than the 90s? Anticipated maturity: 2015-2022.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
A dry year, with only 286 litres of rain, a long vegetative cycle (from budbreak until the leaves fall) of 200 days, and a cold winter and warm summer. Fermented in cement and bottled in June 1992. A nose of wet animal fur once served, somehow reduced. In the mouth, a little dry. A second bottle seems fresher, with riper fruit, long and narrow, but still animal. The nose develops a note of iodine and toffee. (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.