March 1, 2024 - Right upon opening the bouquet reveals the oxidative style of this wine, resin too. The palate is fresh but shows age - an attractive contradiction, everything about this is intriguing and exiting, no longer waxy style, clear and pristine character, crisp yellow fruit, almonds, forest strawberries, Graves style minerals and hints of iron. Great acidity as always. A killer good bottle. There are white wines and white wines, this is the latter. Probably the only wine I'd need on a desert island.
November 16, 2023 - Bromley Wine Circle does Rioja - 16th November 2023: A hint of marzipan on the nose here, some satsuma and cordite. Later a suggested of buttered leeks. Palate a little in the shadow of the 2003 this is served alongside but still a very classy drop.
November 16, 2023 - Riojathon (London SW11): Tasted alongside the 2003, this was similar in many ways but rather a shadow of it's stablemate. Paler colour but a bit wan on the palate too. Less weight, austere even. Hard to love. Nothing technically wrong but less good than a previous bottle and certainly less good than the 2003.
November 16, 2023 - Riojathon (South West London): Paler in colour than the 03 but also with a slightly earthier nose - someone said saltpeter. Rereading previous notes - I think this was a slightly off bottle - still a lovely drink (and I went back to it twice over the evening) but a slight funk to it.
September 25, 2023 - Excellent Gravonia which is to be expected when it comes to the whites of LdH. There is a reason these wines are popular, they are truly one of a kind. This is the oldest Gravonia I have had the chance to taste, its color is taking on a slightly more golden hue than its younger siblings. These definitely age at a glacial pace because this showed an absolutely classic Gravonia profile. Rich honey with the American oak influence of coconut/dill with some creaminess all held together by the backbone of razor sharp citrus acidity. This wine really delivered and had a rich mouthfeel with a super long finish from the acidity.
No wines really get me as excited as the Whites and Rosado's of LdH and each time I open one I am reminded of why.
June 17, 2023 - 100% Viura from Viña Gravonia (aka. Zaconia) vineyard in the municipality of Zaco, purchased in 1909-1912 and replanted in 1925. Harvested in late September 2006. The wine gets its name because it is a Spanish emulation of the classic whites of the Graves region. After the spontaneous fermentation, the wine is aged for 4 years in predominantly old American oak barrels and bottled unfiltered in 2011. Labeled "Crianza", although the wine is effectively a Gran Reserva. 12,5% alcohol, 5 g/l acidity. Total production 50,000 bottles.
Luminous, moderately deep straw-yellow color. The nose feels fragrant, sweet-toned and beautifully oxidative with complex aromas of slivered almonds, some heady diesel notes, a little bit of bruised apple, light zesty notes of citrus fruits, a hint of sorrel and a touch of honeyed richness. The wine feels evolved, balanced and quite precise on the palate with a medium body and complex, slightly oxidative flavors of almond paste and chopped nuts, tangy citrus fruits, some stony and slightly salyu mineral tones, a little bit of acacia honey, light smoky nuances, hints of hay and old wood and a touch of browned butter. The racy acidity lends great sense of precision and structure to the wine. The finish is long, crisp and quite racy with flavors of hay and sorrel, some browned butter, light oxidative notes of chopped nuts and slivered almonds, a little bit of tangy salinity, sharp hints of Granny Smith apple and lemony citrus fruits and a woody touch of old oak.
Just as always, this is a fantastic vintage of Gravonia. The wine continues to develop into a more tertiary direction: the creamy nuances have slowly started to turn into more browned butter flavors; the honeyed notes have gained a bit more prominence; and there was a faint petrolly nuance of diesel I hadn't noticed before. I wouldn't say the wine has qualitatively improved that much, as the wine has been superb already on its release, but it hasn't faded away one little bit, either. This just continues to be one of the best vintages of Gravonia this side of millennium. Still a screaming bargain at mere 15€. Very highly recommended.
October 16, 2022 - Utregs Wijnhuis Lopez de Heredia Tasting (Restaurant Maeve, Utrecht. NL): Mature, cheese rind, tertiary development, spicy depth, tart citrus, opens up with a bit of aeration, aromatic green herbs.
June 18, 2022 - Second bottle of this wine. First was spoiled, so not a great introduction. Also, reading some of the reviews of this one got me thinking it was a bit too far out of the main stream to be of my taste. Not to worry. In one word, excellent. Wine has a unique identity, but in a good way. Nose is subtle, yet rich. Some citrus, but more defined by exotic spices and a certain floral note. Palate is where it is really happening. Fresh acidity, citrus, but so much more, spices, minerals, a hint of orange peel. Love the complexity as well as the long finish. As I haven’t had a proper bottle of this wine before I can’t speak for how the aging has defined the wine, but what I can conclude is that at this point it offers a great balance of freshness and complexity.
April 18, 2022 - 5 años han pasado desde que lo compré. Adquirí una caja de 6 para verlo evolucionar. Desde mí última nota de hace 2 años ha cambiado bastante. Ha ganado un toque de evolución, como casi de Sauternes. Notas de gravonia evolucionado, mielado, ahumado, salino.
En boca es amargo y dulce a la vez, persistencia infinita. Se te queda pegado al paladar. Grasoso, como waxy.
Tremendamente especial. Diría que está listo para beber y más tiempo no le hará nada. Desde mí última nota tiene menos fruta y más terciarios.
April 12, 2022 - Intense gold color with lots of interesting oxidative notes - definitely nutty with citrus and mineral, and a pleasant oily texture - but none of these elements overshadow the wine - it's all in fine balance.