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Contino Winery Guide

Winery Overview

The beautiful Rioja Alavesa wine estate Contino has emerged as one of the benchmarks for terroir-focused, sublime, and structured Rioja, showcasing the tremendous depth and complexity that the region can give. Unlike many of its neighbors, Contino has adhered to the principles of terroir-driven wines from the very beginning, investing countless hours and sums into understanding its wonderfully diverse vineyards. It was also the first producer to bring the “Chateau concept” to Rioja. Furthermore, Contino has continuously produced wines from its estate vineyards rather than blending grapes from different sources across the region, as was the standard practice in Rioja. Jesus Madrazo, one of Spain’s great winemaking stars, is the head of this brilliant project. From his base in Laserna, he produces superb wines in diverse styles, from the thirst-quenching white to a highly sought-after icon wine, Vina del Olivo. Indeed, nothing less than exceptional wine leaves these cellar doors, proving that well-made Rioja can easily rival the top fine wines from France, Italy, and beyond.

The estate was founded in 1974 and produced a top cuvée from every vintage, with exceptions for poor years. The group behind the Contino name is the CVNE family, who had previously worked with other families to produce wines from these vineyards under the brand “La Serna Wine Society.” Recognizing the land’s exceptional potential, they decided to band together as a single entity in the 1970s to release a wine named Contino. They have since earned a reputation as one of Rioja’s most consistent suppliers. Today’s gorgeous building that faces the vineyards was an ancestral home, lovingly restored and updated by the CVNE family, who also spared no expense in constructing a state-of-the-art winery. The cellar, however, is of ancient origin, dating back to the 16th century. But the most crucial element to Contino’s success has always been its workforce, represented by two generations of the Madrazo family. Jesus’ father, José Madrazo, initially steered Contino to greatness until 1984, when Jesus took over. He was appointed estate director in 1999 and has left his mark by introducing a further range of impressive bottlings to complement the original Contino cuvee. These include a 100% varietal Graciano and the Contino Gran Reserva, only produced in the finest vintages.

Today, for both wine critics and connoisseurs, the wines of Contino need little introduction. Instead, they are recognized for their consistency, quality, and longevity. This is a testament to Madrazo’s team’s hard work, who understand that no amount of fancy winemaking equipment is a substitute for extensive hard work in the vineyards. Nowhere is this more apparent than when tasting the prestige cuvee Vina Del Olivo, considered one of the most outstanding wines in Spain. This magic source lies in the block of vineyards surrounding an ancient olive tree, where the interaction between the vines and the olive trees’ roots leads to an exceptional wine indeed.

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Further Reading

Author

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James lawrence

With a passion for food & drink that verges on the obsessive, wine writer James Lawrence has traveled the world in search of the perfect tipple. To date, nothing has surpassed the 1952 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rioja Reserva, tasted in the cobweb-filled cellars with owner María José. Meanwhile, James has been writing for a wide variety of publications for over 12 years, including Telegraph, Decanter, Harpers, The Drinks Business, and Wine Business International. He lives in South Wales and returns to his former university city, Bilbao, as much as possible.

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