One of my all time favorite Spanish wineries, R. Lopez de Heredia is one of the famed properties in the La Rioja region. R. Lopez de Heredia was founded in the nineteenth century when French negociants visited the Rioja region to find alternative sources of quality grapes to transform into wine, following their phylloxera epidemic had decimated their vineyards. Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, started his winery in Haro, the capital of the Rioja Alta region. The winery is a stunning older building with one of the coolest wine caves that I have ever seen.
A few years back my visit to R. Lopez de Heredia was one of the highlights of my trip to Spain. The winery even has its own in-house barrel maker as the attention to detail in the wines is unbelievable, R. Lopez de Heredia wines are aged considerably longer than most and they are only sold when the winemaker finds them to be drinking perfectly. Their current releases are more than a decade old.
The new releases from this house were stunning. Look for the 2011 R. Lopez de Heredia ‘Vina Cubillo’ Rioja (WWB, 93) which is a killer value that shows wonderful texture and a soft mouthfeel from this warm vintage in Rioja. I was blown away with the new 2008 R. Lopez de Heredia ‘Vina Tondonia’ Rioja Reserva (WWB, 95) which shows tremendous weight and verve despite obvious challenges of the vintage. This is one of the great 2008 wines that I have sampled. Learn more about this famed winery athttp://www.lopezdeheredia.com Here are the beautiful new wines by R. Lopez de Heredia.
2008 R. Lopez Heredia ‘Vina Tondonia Reserva’ Rioja Blanco- The 2008 R. Lopez Heredia ‘Vina Tondonia Reserva’ Blanco impresses with beeswax tones woven together with cantaloupe, toasty oak and shades of starfruit on the nose. The palate is soft and generous with a wonderful sense of mouthfeel. There is almost a fino Sherry tone to the wine with the strong nutty flavors and fantastic sense of salinity to the wine. Layers of toasty oak wrap around the core of melon, lemon rind and beeswax flavors with dried apricot and salted Marcona almond accents. Complex and delicious in its youth, this has a long life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2033- 94
2011 R. Lopex de Heredia ‘Vina Cubillo’ Rioja- The 2011 ‘Vina Cubillo’ Rioja is a splendid effort from this under appreciated vintage in La Rioja. Toasty oak combines with the core of red currants, red raspberry and orange rind tones on the nose. The palate is plush, showing a core of sour red fruits with great length and blood orange rind and wild mushroom accents. Seriously good at the nine year mark now, this will continue to cellar well for at least another decade. Drink 2020-2030- 93
2007 R. Lopez Heredia ‘Vina Tondonia Reserva’ Rioja- The R. Lopez Heredia ‘Vina Tondonia Reserva’ Rioja was sourced from what was generally a challenging, low-yielding vintage in Rioja, that was somehow rated ‘very good.’ The wine is a gorgeous blend of Tempranillo (75%), Garnacho (15%), Graciano and Mazuelo (10%) that was aged for six years before bottling. Needing an hour in the decanter to fully evolve, the ‘Vina Tondonia Reserva’ shows pretty red cherry cordial and wild blackberry tones that are woven together with dark licorice, pencil shavings and suggestions of wild mushroom that all take shape in the glass. The palate is round and generous, showing really good range from menthol to black cherry compote, Umami and suggestions of red bell pepper with Mandarin orange rind undertones that sing in unison. The freshness and verve of the wine that combine with the weight seriously impresses. Every bit outstanding, this is amongst the best of the vintage. Drink 2020-2038- 95
2008 R. Lopez Heredia ‘Vina Tondonia Reserva’ Rioja- The 2008 R. Lopez Heredia ‘Vina Tondonia Reserva’ Rioja is a marvelous effort from this challenging vintage in La Rioja. The wine is a complex blend of Tempranillo (75%), and Garnacho (15%), with Graciano and Mazuelo (5%) that was aged for six years before bottling. The wine is might be showing a bit more depth and concentration than the ’07 bottling while the ’07 is slightly more geared towards finesse. Deep white truffle and wild blackberry notes combine with shades of cinnamon, orange rind and sour kirsch on this gorgeous bouquet. The palate is wonderfully viscous and concentrated. Layers of sour red and ark fruits collide with minerals, smoky terroir and shades of blood orange zest and peat moss on this simply gorgeous palate. Rich and layered, yet having a sterling sense of tension, this magical new wine will cellar well for at least another fifteen years. Drink 2020-2038- 95