1949 CVNE Compania Vinicola del Norte de Espana ‘Imperial’ Reserva 1949 Rioja

From the stunning 1949 vintage, this Spanish red wine scores 92/100 Parker points “I’ve been lucky enough to have encountered the magnificent 1949 Viña Real Reserva Especial on a couple of occasions. That year the People’s Republic of China was founded, while Germany split into two countries and NATO was created. George Orwell wrote the novel “1984.” These old bottles are unpredictable and on previous occasions I’ve found very strong reduction. Even though the vintage was certainly excellent, at age sixty-something, there are no great vintages, only great bottles. Popular artists in that year included, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Frankie Laine and Vaughn Monroe. The top-grossing film in the U.S. was “Samson and Delilah.” You have to dig deep to find a song that remains popular or at least known nowadays, perhaps “O Sole Mio,” by Mario Lanza. The year saw a relatively long vegetative cycle (205 days). The wine was not bottled until June 1963, 14 years after the harvest! Unfortunately, this wine showed some evolution, with some toffee notes, and felt quite fragile, suffering in comparison with the 1947, 1954 or 1949. But overall, I think it was a surprising and different wine. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025″ This vintage Spanish wine. is shipped in a deluxe silk lined wooden presentation box with four wine accessories (corkscrew, wine pourer, drip stopper & wine thermometer) [worth £17.99] at no extra cost and now includes a free gift card with your personal message and tasting and storage notes. One Only. Faded bin soiled label.