2016 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Monopole Blanco

JamesSuckling.com

• By James Suckling
  6/27/2017, (See more on JamesSuckling.com...)

  (CUNE Rioja Monople, Spain) Login and sign up and see review text.

Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Summer Love, 8/14/2017

  (CVNE Monopole Rioja Blanco) Hello friends. August is my personal peak time for enjoying crisp, refreshing, yet never boring bottles (and cans!) from around the globe. Today, we’re offering a trio of end of summer wines, perfect for the hot days we still have in store, and fit for the first crisp ones of fall.CVNE is the not-so-little Rioja winery responsible for one of our favorite sub-10 dollar sparklers—but they are also the masterminds of a killer Rioja Blanco made entirely from Viura. Rioja Blanco, or White Rioja, only makes up about 10% of the wine produced in the region, which makes it a little more rare than your typical white wine. This is a serious category when it comes to whites—and a great chance to try something from Rioja at a steal of a price point. CVNE’s history dates back to 1879, when two brothers founded the Compañía Vinicola del Norte de España—the Northern Spanish Wine Company—in the station neighborhood of Rioja. What started as a wine trading company called C.V.N.E. quickly became a winery of the same name, known to locals as La Cuné. La Cuné farms roughly 545 hectares in Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, two of the three sub regions of Rioja, and the winery is still made up of the original 19th century buildings in the middle of Haro. This white is not to be missed as summer continues and slowly fades into fall. 100% Viura (also known as Macabeo) and 13% alcohol, this wine pours yellow with a grassy tint into the glass. The nose blossoms with apple, pear, peach, lime, and wild flowers. There’s a touch of salty minerality, adding depth and intrigue. On palate, the salty minerality comes through with delicious fresh fruit and lively acidity. The finish is subtle but long as it revisits the peach and apple of the nose.