Viñedos del Contino was Rioja’s first Bordeaux-style château, with 55 hectares of vineyards across different soils and microclimates surrounding the sixteenth-century manor house and historic cellars. For Contino’s fiftieth vintage, in 2024, the company wanted to do “something completely different” to celebrate. After dismissing the possibility of a special cuvée, or even a big party, it landed on the idea of a collaboration. I was invited to the unveiling of the product of that collaboration, Chorus, at the iconic St Pancras Hotel.
“Chorus is the best wine I’ve ever made” – Viñedos del Contino winemaker Jorge Navascués
“Chorus is not a wine, it’s a project” Navascués tells us. At the Contino estate in Rioja Alavesa, wines from the alluvial, pebbly soils need care to prevent too much power, so when thinking about the collaboration, Contino looked for an expert in transforming power into elegance and finesse. Drawing a parallel with Pomerol, Urrutia started talking to Guillaume Thienpont, fourth generation winemaker at Vieux Château Certan, in 2022.
Thienpont admits he was surprised by the idea at first, but when he and his wife Emma travelled to Contino to meet with Urrutia and Navascués, he was captivated by both the estate and the team, “the connection was so instant, we speak the same language” he says. In Rioja Alavesa he also saw reminders of home, in the alluvial and clay soils and weather patterns influenced by the Bay of Biscay.
Jorge Navascués and Guillaume Thienpont (l-r) at the launch of Chorus
After studying the vineyard, Thienpont worked with Navascués to select the perfect parcels to include in the wine. The final blend comes from San Gregorio Encina for perfume, Don Vicente for power and concentration, and Viña del Olivo, the oldest parcel on the estate, for the upfront taste and fine tannins.
Chorus is the first wine Contino has made as a single varietal Tempranillo
Chorus 2024 is 100% Tempranillo, aged for twelve months in 75% new and 25% second and third use barrels. The elegant, perfumed nose has lifted aromatics and bright red fruit. A creaminess comes through on the palate, with soft tannins, well balanced oak and a hint of spice on the finish. A very elegant wine with restrained power which will age well but is already drinking beautifully.
It was Thienpont who came up with the name Chorus, inspired by a conversation with Urrutia about the San Gregorio plot and Gregorian chants, and the fitting meaning for the two winemakers working together “in harmony”.
This is the first time Contino has made a single varietal Tempranillo, but Chorus 2025 is already being worked on. When asked if there will be any other collaborations, Urrutia replies, “It would be amazing, yes…to be continued!”
Other wines tasted
Tasting the Gran Reservas before Chorus, London St Pancras Hotel, April 29, 2026
Before the launch, we tasted what CVNE CEO Victor Urrutia calls “the essence of Contino”, a flight of Gran Reserva wines from 2009, 2016 and 2019. Winemaker Jorge Navascués believes the Contino Gran Reservas express the greatness of its single vineyard, while also showing “the identity of Rioja, Rioja’s DNA”.
Contino Gran Reserva 2009,from magnum, is starting to show beautiful tertiary development, with leather, tobacco leaf and slightly dried fruits, while remaining balanced with that unmistakable Rioja nose. Contino Gran Reserva 2016, also from magnum, still feels youthful and fresh, with layers of concentrated dark fruit, chocolate and vanilla. Contino Gran Reserva 2019 is more restrained on the nose but with lovely red fruit on the palate showing tension, freshness and incredible potential to age.
Since 2017, the Gran Reserva wines have moved away from the Rioja tradition of American oak and are now aged in only French oak, with Navascués explaining that American oak brings a sweetness that modern fruit ripeness makes unnecessary.
Over lunch with the team, we got to taste the new release of Viña del Olivo 2023, showing a quality Contino is proud of given the challenges of the vintage, the third drought year in a row. On clay soils, Viña del Olivo is the coolest parcel on the estate. Urrutia explains that “if Chorus is a Bordeaux-style blend of different parcels, then Olivo is the Burgundy-style ‘Grand Cru’”. 15% Graciano is added for freshness and floral character, as well as 5% Mazuelo. After 18 months in oak barrels and two in oak vats, the 2023 is showing concentrated berry fruit, mocha and sweet spices with balanced freshness and firm, well-integrated tannins.
With the cheese course, a “surprise”: Corona, referred to internally as the “vino de las mujeres” was first made by the women left on the estate during the Spanish Civil War. Half-forgotten Viura grapes were harvested late resulting in a sweeter style and left for long ageing in both barrel and bottle. This style was revived in 2015, and Corona 2017 is a medium-sweet white Gran Reserva with a nose of hay, dried apricots, honey, and around 30g/L of residual sugar, a delicious rarity.
Reflecting on the collaboration with Thienpont, Urrutia comments that, “it’s taken a master of elegance to interpret this vineyard in a completely different light”, while Navascués says simply, “Chorus is the best wine I’ve ever made.”
Chorus is sold and distributed in the UK through Hatch Mansfield which is a commercial partner of The Buyer. To discover more about them click here.
