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2020 CVNE "Cune" Reserva Rioja

2020 CVNE "Cune" Reserva Rioja

Top Pick
92JG
92JS
92VN
91RP
91WS
90DC
$19.99

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Availability by location

Main Warehouse: 36+ | Redwood City: 12 | Culver City: 12 | San Francisco: 11 | Hollywood: 10

92

John Gilman

Reviewed May 2026
The 2020 Rioja “Reserva” bottling from Cuné is composed this year from a blend of eighty-five percent tempranillo, with the other fifteen percent being a mix of graciano, garnacha and mazuelo. The wine was aged for a year and a half in American oak barrels and comes in at an even fourteen percent alcohol in this vintage. The wine’s aromatic constellation is bright, deep and youthfully complex, offering up scents of cassis, dark berries, coffee bean, a lovely base of soil, incipient notes of Rioja spice, American oak and a topnote of cigar smoke. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and still youthful, with a lovely core of black fruit, fine soil signature and grip, ripe tannins and fine balance on the long, focused and still fairly young finish. This is just starting to get velvety on the palate, but it still has enough tannins that tucking it away in the cellar for a handful of years will pay dividends.

Professional Reviews

92

James Suckling

Review Date: 07/2023
A juicy and bright Rioja with ripe, fresh plums, cherries, stones, sweet spices and tobacco. Textbook, medium-bodied palate with juicy, plummy fruit and fine-grained tannins. Fairly long and tightly wound finish. Energetic and pretty refined. (ZS)

92

Vinous

Review Date: 04/2024
The 2020 Reserva Cune is 85% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha, 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo from Rioja Alta, aged up to 18 months in a mix of American and French oak barrels. Garnet in color, it delivers black ripe fruit, meaty notes and garrigue-like layers. Dry, juicy and chalky on the palate, it closes with a plush, crystal-clear finish. (JH)

91

Wine Advocate

Review Date: 02/2025
The 2020 Cune Reserva was produced with a blend of Tempranillo with 15% Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo from Haro, fermented in 20,000-liter stainless steel vats and matured in new and used French and American oak barrels for 18 months. It has 14% alcohol and good freshness and balance, reflecting the warm conditions of the year. It's serious and harmonious, classical and polished, with some incipient notes of complexity. It develops aromas in the glass in a short time. It has abundant, fine, slightly dusty tannins. 2020s are quite approachable, without the exuberance of other warm vintages. This is very good for the year. (LG)

Staff Reviews

RR
Rachael Ryan

Rachael Ryan

K&L Buyer
Review Date: 10/2026
Founded in Haro in 1879, CVNE is arguably the most recognizable name in Rioja, with a portfolio that includes dependable everyday favorites under the “Cune” label all the way to their benchmark Imperial Gran Reserva. The 2020 “Cune” Reserva Rioja is a perfect illustration of why this historic estate remains such a trusted name: it delivers authentic Rioja character, traditional barrel aging and impressive complexity at am incredibly accessible price. Made primarily from Tempranillo, with Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo rounding out the blend, the wine spends 24 months in a combination of French and American oak before receiving at least another year of bottle aging. The result is classic and immediately appealing, with aromas of ripe cherry, red berries and plum layered with licorice, vanilla, baking spice and subtle toasted notes. The palate is supple and beautifully balanced, with polished tannins, juicy fruit and a fresh, savory finish. This is the kind of versatile Rioja that belongs on every dinner table, equally at home alongside roast chicken, grilled lamb, charcuterie or a plate of aged Manchego. For anyone looking for the benchmark flavors of traditional Rioja without spending a fortune, Cune Reserva is a no-brainer—and a terrific reminder that some of the best values in Spanish wine come from its most established names. The price to quality ratio here is simply unbeatable!

Notes

CVNE (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) is one of Rioja’s most historic and influential producers, founded in 1879 by the Real de Asúa brothers in Haro. Still family-owned more than 140 years later, CVNE has played a central role in establishing Rioja’s reputation for traditionally styled, ageworthy wines, combining meticulous vineyard sourcing with long élevage in oak and bottle. The winery’s historic Haro cellars are part of Rioja’s famed Barrio de la Estación, while its portfolio includes some of the region’s most important bottlings, notably Imperial and Real de Asúa. With a rare combination of scale, longevity, and consistency, CVNE remains one of the benchmark estates of Rioja and a key reference point for understanding the region’s winemaking heritage.

Details

TypeRed Wine
VarietalTempranillo
OriginRioja, Spain
Bottle Size750 mL
SKU2071044