Our best vineyards located in La Rioja Alta are used for making Imperial Gran Reserva. In 2016, we selected the small plots Remedio and Encinas, located in Villalba at an altitude between 550 and 650 metres, close to Sierra de Toloño. The climate is of Atlantic and Continental influence. The plots are of 12 hectares, within the total of 42 hectares of vineyards that CVNE owns in this village. The plots of Barbarroja and Antoñana, located in Torremontalbo, were also selected for the 2016 vintage of Imperial. These 40-year-old vineyards are bush trained, rainfed and of low yield. Soils of clay with areas of river pebbles, poor in organic matter and located on gentle south facing slopes.

Rigorous work was held in the vineyard followed by hand harvesting into 20kg boxes with a double selection in the field and in the cellar. Whole bunches were kept cool in order to improve fruit extraction and color stability. To ensure gentle handling, the grapes were fed by gravity to small oak vats where we macerate cold for a few hours before starting alcoholic fermentation, with indigenous yeasts at a controlled temperature of 28 -29ºC. Punching and delestage are carried out daily during fermentation, as well as tastings to determine the perfect moment for draining the vat. Once completed, the wine was then aged in French and American oak barrels, new and of 1 year wine, for over 24 months with racking’s every 8 months, followed by minimum 36 months bottle ageing in our century-old cellars until its release.

The 2017 harvest in the Imperial vineyards began on the 18th of September and ended on the 3rd October. The year began with warmer temperatures than usual which brought forward the growing season, including bud burst. The new growth then succumbed heavily to the severe frost at the end of April reducing even further a yield which had already been diminished by drought. At the end of July, isolated storms helped to restore vegetative balance in the vines, so raising hopes for improved production yields. Rioja Alta’s usual continental climate with cool summer nights contributed to avoiding excessive ripening in the grapes and assisted in producing a high-quality vintage. In addition, regular checks in the vineyard were critical in deciding the optimum timing for the harvest and safeguarding the characteristic freshness of wines from the region.

Once in the winery, the grapes were held in a refrigerated chamber for 24 hours and then subject to second manual selection on a selection table. To ensure gentle handling, the grapes were fed by gravity to French oak vats for alcoholic fermentation. Once completed the wine was then aged in French and American oak barrels for 24 months, followed by 36 months of bottle ageing in our century-old cellars until being released to market.