CVNE Rioja Monopole Clásico Gran Reserva Blanco 2017

98 points Zekun Shuai (JamesSuckling.com) : "Popcorn, honey, matchsticks, moss, sea urchin and roasted cashews on the nose. Salty and concentrated but composed and really long. There is a Sherry touch to it, but the reductive feel makes it such a striking and paradoxical wine. Bring this wine to a dinner and you'd be talking about it all night. Aged in old 600-liter Sherry butts. Drink now or hold. (8/7/24)”

96 points Tim Atkin, MW: “(13.5%) A rare Rioja white whose production is only 2,000 bottles, this is a defiantly unique style that combines old-vine Viura from CVNE's La Plana vineyard at the foot of the Montes Obarenes with around 2% Palomino. Aged in Sherry barrels, it's a textured, weighty intense cuvée that's part Jura, party Fino de Jerez and part Rioja. Sourdough bread and salted almond flavours are complemented by notes of brine and green olive and a bone-dry finish. 2024-30. (2024)”

95 points Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate): “[$200 list] The white 2017 Monopole Clásico Gran Reserva had the same vinification as the Monopole Clásico but with a longer élevage, almost seven years! It has moderate alcohol (13.5%) and very good freshness and acidity parameters (pH of 3.21 and 6.45 grams of acidity). It has a very expressive and different nose, more oxidative and spicier, with more effect from the yeasts, with a touch of honey and also a touch of diesel. Seems like time concentrated everything, including acidity... It smells more like the Corona, possibly the effect of the cave where they age... There were three barrels and three Sherry butts, a small lot that made for 2,730 bottles. It was bottled in October 2023. Drink: 2023-2034. (2/29/24)”