CVNE, Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (the Northern Spanish Wine Company), was founded in 1879 in the town of Haro in Rioja. CVNE was founded by two brothers and today is still controlled by the direct descendants of the founding family. Since its inception, CVNE has been focused on the production and aging of wines and now comprises of four wineries: CVNE, Imperial, Viña Real and Contino
 
Launched in the 1920s, Viña Real became known for pioneering wines from the Rioja Alavesa. A careful balance between tradition and modernity has defined Viña Real’s ethos ever since. The Viña Real Gran Reserva is exceptional value for money, a high scoring wine which can age for decades but is ready drink on release. Luis Gutierrez of Wine Advocate scoring the 1959 vintage 100 points in a vertical tasting held in 2015 is a great example of the potential that Viña Real Gran Reserva has. Luis also recently awarded the 1947 Viña Real Gran Reserva Especial 100 points in a recent tasting comparing Rioja and Bordeaux from 1947.

The ‘Especial’ name awarded to the Viña Real Gran Reservas made in remarkable vintages rather than any difference in the vineyards or winery - 2015 is one of the few vintages labelled 'Especial'
 
2015 is a fantastic vintage in La Rioja, and the bottle i enjoyed on release was absolutely delicious already but with a brilliant structure and awesome balance that should see it ageing gracefully in the cellar for decades. The Wine Advocate rate the vintage ‘Outstanding’ and the best since 2010, awarding it 94/100. Vinous also highly rate the vintage stating “After an early start to the growing season a warm, often hot summer resulted in the earliest harvest on record. Sugar levels were on the high side, resulting in rich, emphatically fruity wines, many of which will provide pleasure on the young side, while the best versions have the depth to age - 94/100”
 
The team at CVNE reckon that the 2015 vintage has emerged as one of the best harvests from the past few years. The fruit quality is what defines this vintage as exceptional due in particular to the near-perfect weather they experienced during harvest. Throughout the vine cycle, the weather conditions were more or less normal. They had a rainy autumn from October to December 2014 followed by a dry January with some frosts. The climate during harvest was perfect - long sunny days followed by low temperatures at night that allowed the harvest of good quality grapes at ideal maturation. Warmer temperatures in September and the beginning of October allowed them to commence harvest earlier and complete harvest sooner than in previous years. At CVNE, they started harvest on September 9 and concluded by October 9.