Cune’s 2006 Reserva is a blend of 80% Tempranillo with the balance Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo aged for 2 years in French and American oak. Dark ruby-colored, it reveals an aromatic array of smoke, spice box, tobacco, black cherry, and blackberry. This is followed by a medium-bodied wine with plenty of savory, spicy fruit, a smooth texture, and enough ripe tannin to evolve for 3-4 years. This lengthy offering will provide prime drinking from 2013 to 2021. Compania Vinicola del Norte de Espana (C.V.N.E.) is known colloquially to most Spanish wine drinkers as Cune. The company was founded in 1879 by the Real de Asua brothers and still remains in control of their direct descendants. In the 1920s ownership started Vina Real and in 2004 a new winery was built in Laguardia. In 1973 Contino was created to further the concept of the single estate winery and has since been one of the principal leaders in the resurrection of the nearly extinct Graciano grape. The Contino wines are made exclusively from the estate’s 253 acres located in Laserna near the town of Laguardia. The Reserva bottling is the mainstay of the Contino lineup produced from vines ranging in age from 25 to 60 years. The Contino Vina Del Olivo is the product of a dry farmed single vineyard of the same name planted in 1980. The blend is 90% Tempranillo with the balance Graciano and Carinena aged in new oak for 18 months. The Imperial label is affixed at C.V.N.E. only in the top vintages. Importer: Christopher Cannan, Europvin, www.europvin.com