CVNE Corona Gran Reserva 2015

The 2015 Corona Gran Reserva is a "new" semi-sweet white that they revived from the wines produced from yesteryear. They harvested the grapes quite late looking for noble rot in early December (but they only got a very small percentage), and it matured in well-seasoned oak containers of different sizes for almost seven years. The wine has 13.9% alcohol and 33 grams of sugar, so faintly weak, trying to go back to the wines like the mythical 1939. It's perfumed, peachy and spicy but not overtly oaky, with hints of mushrooms and yeasts. The palate is quite mellow, tasty, just subtly sweet, quite easy to drink. This has something in common with the Monopole Clásico Gran Reserva, with that smokiness and reminiscences of their ancient caves. This should age effortlessly for many years, developing more complexity and nuance. It has very good freshness and still feels very young. It was bottled in March 2022. This will not be produced every year.

This the first release, or arguably rerelease, as the style dates back to late 1930s, of a medium sweet Viura from CVNE. Made with barrel-aged Viura from the La Salceda vineyard in Villalba, this tastes drier than its 30 grams of residual sugar. Aniseed, fennel, sweet vanilla spice and a savoury, nutty undertone make this a remarkable new venture. 2023-30.