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R. Lopez de Heredia
Haro - Rioja Alta, Spain
“This is my favourite Rioja.
It is also a wine I have had the pleasure of sampling over the years and remains one of reference wines. To contextualise: R Lopez de Heredia sits next to Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Joh. Bapt. Schafer, Domaine Serafin, Domaine Albert Grivault ... there are maybe one or two others but this a small and elite list of wines that continue, always, to be remarkable in every way.
I struggle to say much about these wines as they are so ingrained in my vinous thinking. They are emotional; highly redolent of place and tradition; and primal in memory. Reference wines. My inarticulacy here derives from the definitive quality of these wines. Describing them is akin to explaining the colour red.”
— David
“We have all the records—every single hand-written letter since 1870 from my great-grandfather. And what we know is that he was very clear on whom he wanted to sell the wines to. He wanted to sell the wines to people who owned cars, who wore a tie, who spoke languages, and who were related to royal houses or were diplomatic. I mean, he wanted to make the best wine in Spain. For that, he had to make a high-quality wine, and he had to be taught by the best investigators, and by the best châteaux, and by the people in France who he knew knew.”
— Maria José Lopez de Heredia
~ please note : all orders by return email ~
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R. Lopez de Heredia 2012 Rioja Reserva ‘Vina Tondonia’
(Shelf Price: $162.00)
Offer: $152.00
75% Tempranillo / 15% Garnacho / 10% Graciano & Mazuelo
6 years in barrels
“The 2012 Viña Tondonia Reserva comes from a very dry year, with 25% less rain than the average (at the time), resulting in lower yields of very healthy grapes that delivered wines with nice balance between alcohol and polyphenols, making it very apt for the aging in barrel. It had a slightly longer élevage in barrel, six years. The wine is aromatic with a developed profile, spicy and tertiary (forest floor, a touch of brick dust and iodine), complex and nuanced. The palate is full and round, with polished tannins and a long, dry finish. It has a textbook Tondonia nose and profile.”
95pts — Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The 2012 Viña Tondonia is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano, cultivated on the meander of the Ebro River in Rioja Alta. This garnet wine reveals aromas of ash and plum marmalade, with a faintly herbal core and hints of oaky cedar. Dry and lean, the fairly chalky texture lingers long, concluding with a compact, flavorful and lasting finish. The 2012 is a beautiful old-school Rioja.”
95pts — Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous
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R. Lopez de Heredia 2016 Rioja Blanca Crianza 'Vina Gravonia'
~ please note : this wine is available only on request ~
100% Viura
4 years in barrels
“2016 was a superb vintage in Rioja, and the 2016 Viña Gravonia Blanco, which has the cellar aroma that all the wines, especially the whites, have, due to the longer time the wines spend in barrel. The white vines in this vineyard are now 92 years old and their juice was fermented in old oak vats with indigenous yeasts. They explained, "We have never used selected yeasts." It was matured in their well-seasoned American oak barrels for four years. It's paler than any of the other whites, and it has a little less pungency, with very good freshness. It's elegant, subtle, clean and ethereal. They had good yields and a good climatic year. 42,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2022. I give these wines a conservative drinking window, but they will probably last much longer.”
95pts — Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
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Founded in the late 1800s, Lopez de Heredia remains one of the most traditional estates in Spain. The wines rest in cold cellars in neutral Bordelaise oak barrels for substantial periods of time; the blends are based on old vineyard proportions; and bottles are retained at the Bodega both to settle following vintage and as part of a substantial library. The 1947s and ‘54s are apparently drinking very well at present. Despite the tradition there are small innovations taking place; Maria Jose is particularly proud of a new mixture of wax and plasticine that is used to seal the barrels. Perhaps time does not stand as still as it appears.
— David
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“Mercedes López de Heredia told me, "We are fighting very hard to not change anything. Before, we were going against the flow, and now we are overwhelmed by demand." It was amazing to taste with Mercedes and her sister María José, who didn't stop talking the whole four hours it took us to go through the current releases. "I've been experimenting with stuff to seal the vats and the barrels, I've mixed beeswax with oil, and I've invented a kind of plasticine with the bitartrates but it's not fully waterproof. We used things that we cannot use anymore, and we have to find alternatives. Everything is a challenge nowadays." The two sisters speak with passion about their traditions and what her grandfather and father did for the family winery. The wines have not changed even if they have to adapt to new regulations that prevent them from working exactly as it was done in the past.”
— Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
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If you would like any of the above, would like to come by for a private appointment, or just have some questions — please let us know.