Pale gold colour. Lovely waxy, nutty texture to it. Some citrus - i thought I got quince but fellow diner spotted tangerine and I was converted. Will this follow the trajectory of the 06? I do hope so - I certainly went back for seconds and thirds.
Fresher on the nose than the 11, and paler colour. Something funky on the palate - TCA? No, it blows off with time, something funky. Palate starts off muted and gets more expressive with air, but it's more the acid talking than the waxy nuttiness we got in the 11. Will be interesting to follow both wines in the future to see how they develop.
Deeper colour than the preceding bottles, and oddly a much more muted nose. The palate has so much intensity - it just keeps going, my handwritten notes say "stately waxiness" and whilst I'm not sure what it means, it's perfectly accurate. A hint of marmalade finish. This is fab - if the 11 follows even a slightly similar trajectory I'll be thrilled.
I wrote "Complex nose" - there's lots going on, some earth, some dark fruits, something herbal. Lovely texture in the mouth, the oak is there but it's well behaved, this was the riper and rounder wine of the flight.
Surprising lightness here - lovely balance, there's a strong acid core to this but it's not tiring, the tannins keep it in balance with the red fruit notes. Some discussion about 07 being a weak vintage for this wine - not on today's showing. Perhaps we caught this at precisely the right time, but I will be looking for this in future, jolly nice.
Served blind (although I knew what it was...) - a fellow diner nailed the vintage, thought it was an Ardanza. The comparison was apt - this is great stuff, real depth, intensity - there's a meatiness to it but the fruit keeps it fresh and alive, this still has time ahead of it. Perhaps a lucky bottle but this was lovely.
This is more than decent - perhaps somewhere between the 04 and 07 in intensity. The nose is slightly muddy, the palate is more resolved and well behaved. If i had these i suspect i'd want to be opening them sooner than later.
2011 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
(2/19/2025)
Pale gold colour. Lovely waxy, nutty texture to it. Some citrus - i thought I got quince but fellow diner spotted tangerine and I was converted. Will this follow the trajectory of the 06? I do hope so - I certainly went back for seconds and thirds.
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2014 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
(2/20/2025)
Fresher on the nose than the 11, and paler colour. Something funky on the palate - TCA? No, it blows off with time, something funky. Palate starts off muted and gets more expressive with air, but it's more the acid talking than the waxy nuttiness we got in the 11. Will be interesting to follow both wines in the future to see how they develop.
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2006 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
(2/20/2025)
Deeper colour than the preceding bottles, and oddly a much more muted nose. The palate has so much intensity - it just keeps going, my handwritten notes say "stately waxiness" and whilst I'm not sure what it means, it's perfectly accurate. A hint of marmalade finish. This is fab - if the 11 follows even a slightly similar trajectory I'll be thrilled.
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2009 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
(2/20/2025)
I wrote "Complex nose" - there's lots going on, some earth, some dark fruits, something herbal. Lovely texture in the mouth, the oak is there but it's well behaved, this was the riper and rounder wine of the flight.
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2007 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
(2/20/2025)
Surprising lightness here - lovely balance, there's a strong acid core to this but it's not tiring, the tannins keep it in balance with the red fruit notes. Some discussion about 07 being a weak vintage for this wine - not on today's showing. Perhaps we caught this at precisely the right time, but I will be looking for this in future, jolly nice.
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2001 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
(2/20/2025)
Served blind (although I knew what it was...) - a fellow diner nailed the vintage, thought it was an Ardanza. The comparison was apt - this is great stuff, real depth, intensity - there's a meatiness to it but the fruit keeps it fresh and alive, this still has time ahead of it. Perhaps a lucky bottle but this was lovely.
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2004 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
(2/20/2025)
This is more than decent - perhaps somewhere between the 04 and 07 in intensity. The nose is slightly muddy, the palate is more resolved and well behaved. If i had these i suspect i'd want to be opening them sooner than later.
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