2006 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia

JamesSuckling.com

• By James Suckling
  7/4/2019, (See more on JamesSuckling.com...)

  (López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia White, Spain) Login and sign up and see review text.

• By Josh Raynolds
  Spain’s New Releases, Part 2: Triumphs and Travails (May 2017), 5/17/2017, (See more on Vinous...)

  (R. Lopez De Heredia Viña Gravonia Blanco Reserva (rioja) White) Login and sign up and see review text.

The World of Fine Wine

• September 2016, Issue #53, (See more on The World of Fine Wine...)

  (R López De Heredia Viña Tondonia Viña Gravonia) Login and sign up and see review text.

Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull The Apotheosis of Traditional, 1/20/2017

  (Lopez de Heredia Rioja Blanco Crianza Gravonia) Hello friends. Many years ago now, I was introduced to the magical, ethereal Rioja wines of Lopez de Heredia by Javier Alfonso of Pomum/Idilico. I owe that man a debt of gratitude. Since then, I have taken every opportunity possible to purchase, collect, drink, and talk about these wines. Offering them, however, has been more challenging, and as I look back at my records, the last time we offered a Lopez de Heredia wine was in 2012. That is borderline criminal, so I’m thrilled to have the chance to offer two classics from the portfolio today: one red and one white. I’ll turn to Neal Martin of Wine Advocate for an introduction to the winery, because a) I love his writing; and b) he seems to love Lopez de Heredia as much as (and in the same way as) I do: I have adored, indeed occasionally worshiped, the wines of Lopez de Heredia for many years, so I am not ashamed to admit that visiting both their vineyard and their winery was a pilgrimage. Founded by Rafael Lopez de Heredia y Landeta in 1877, it has withstood the tide of corporatization and homogeneity, and epitomizes timeless, artisan winemaking in their own individual, almost solipsistic manner. Technology is noticeable by its absence here. For example, to quote her sister Maria-Jose at a tasting that I subsequently attended in London: “Indigenous yeasts have adapted to high temperatures. To control the temperature during fermentation, we open doors and windows” and “malolactic is the invention of modern winemakers.” I had to check whether this was 2012 or 1912. If you were to award points for charisma, then this producer would be in a league of its own. That would count for nothing if their wines were not distinguished, individual, long-lived and above all, delicious. It is commonly known that if you are seeking bags of fruit and lashings of oak, this is not the place to come. My views and these scores might be irrational to someone with a penchant for lush, voluptuous Rioja. Lopez de Heredia is the apotheosis of traditional, classic wines: taut, fresh, bucolic, utterly charming and amazingly long-lived. As with the '04 Tondonia, we’re right in line with the best pricing nationally. It was actually an old Gravonia Blanco (the 1990 I believe) that was my first introduction to the winery. Yep, it was decades-old Viura that floored me first. This one gets four years in barrel, so it too would have been bottled in 2011 and seen a subsequent half-decade of further evolution. The moderately-oxidative style of white winemaking used here is not for everyone, but those of us who love it tend to REALLY love it. The aromatics are unmistakable: pineapple, a wintry/Christmasy spice mix, and brown butter. While the nose is unapologetically oxidative, the palate dazzles with its freshness and bright acidity, its double-take length. This is a special wine indeed. Wine Advocate: Copyrighted material withheld.