The Wines of López de Heredia with María José López de Heredia

Cork Market Tasting Room, Washington, DC
Tasted Wednesday, March 21, 2012 by lowereastscott with 483 views

Introduction

We got two seats at the last minute for this special event in the upper tasting room of Cork Market. We were joined by María José López de Heredia, great-granddaughter of the founder, who presented six wines from her family's winery. The wines were expertly paired with small plates by the chef of Cork Wine Bar. María told us that "wine should eat the food." We agreed that the whole lineup was food-friendly, and the wines and the food made each other substantially better.

Flight 1 (2 Notes)

Paired with: (a) deviled eggs with boquerones, roasted red peppers and green olives; (b) chili and garlic marinated grilled squid, herb salad, fried chickpeas and pickled fennel; and (c) mussels in tomato cava broth, preserved lemon, tomato confit and smoked eggplant.

  • 2002 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Light gold; nose of nuts and honey, slight sherry-like characteristic of an oxidative style; waxy; dry and acidic; nice baked apple flavor and a lemon cream finish. Nice.

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  • 1987 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Medium gold; funky nose, like stinky cheese, wet nuts; slightly sour flavor up front, like pickle or olive juice, moving to pears in syrup and a long, creamy finish. This wine really transformed with the food -- the rough edges smoothed out, the acid toned down, and the fruit came out. Very nice.

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Flight 2 (2 Notes)

Paired with: (a) toasted baguette rubbed with tomoato jam, serrano ham and idiazabal; (b) shrimp sauteed with garlic, pimenton and served with romesco; and (c) chicharrones de pato with cherry confit, la peral and frisee.

Flight 3 (3 Notes)

Paired with: (a) roasted beet and blood orange salad with goat cheese, pistachios and sherry vinaigrette; (b) patatas bravas with chorizo aioli; and (c) hangar steak "a la plancha" with salsa verde.

  • 2001 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Medium red; nose of cherry mint, like an Altoids; good acidity, more mint/menthol and bright cherry flavors; medium-long finish. Nice.

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  • 1991 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Light red with slight bricking on the edges; cedar and cigar box nose; palate unbelievably fresh for its age with lovely sweet cherries emerging after a few minutes in the glass. A revelation.

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  • 1970 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Bosconia

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    This bottle was brought by a diner at another table from his personal collection and generously shared with us. A beautiful ruby color, it looks younger than the '91 Tondonia. Fantastic mature nose of earth, truffle, mushroom and fallen leaves; nice, but very subtle red fruit; all about the tertiary aspects at this point; the tannins are fully resolved and it's in a nice place, but I don't see it getting much better from here. A great experience, like a well-aged Barolo or Burgundy.

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Closing

What a fun way to spend a Wednesday evening!

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