Contino Reserva 2008

The 2008 Reserva is a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% between Mazuelo and Garnacha, inox fermented and aged in used oak barrels of which 40% were made of American wood and the rest were French. 2008 was a challenging vintage and they didn't produce many of the special wines that year, so the best fruit went towards the Reserva. It has a very lactic, sweet nose, with notes of orange rind and cherries. As Contino is a warm vineyard, the cold years make for quite balanced wines, and this 2008 has good acidity, not terribly complex, but clean with a slight herbaceous touch. Fine-grained tannins and acidity will make it age gracefully. 254,000 bottles produced. Drink 2015-2023. Score - 91. (Luis Gutierrez, erobertparker.com, Dec. 2013)