López de Heredia from Haro in Rioja Alta stands as the definition of old school, not only in tradition-rich Rioja, but is in fact unique in the entire wine world. Very little has changed since the estate was founded in 1877.
This is a unique Rioja Reserva, released after six years in barrel with two rackings each year and, in the case of the 2012 vintage, six years in bottle – far, far longer ageing than the law requires.
All grapes for this wine come from the estate’s most important vineyard, Tondonia, where the vines are trained as bush vines in the immediate vicinity of the winery. The blend is 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, while the remaining 10% consists of Graciano and Mazuelo.
It is both spontaneously fermented in ancient 24,000-litre oak vats and aged in old 225-litre American oak barrels from the estate’s own cooperage. Filtration is not used – instead, the wine is racked a couple of times each year and the rest is clarified in old-fashioned fashion with egg whites.
On the nose and palate, the attentive wine lover will primarily find tightly woven red berry aromas in the direction of cranberry, redcurrant and a little cherry. As a counterweight, the ageing aromas contribute notes of damp autumn forest floor with moss and mushrooms, pipe tobacco, a hint of cigar box and toasted wood. The palate is at once powerful, intense and elegant. This is not a loud wine, but nonetheless one worth listening to. If you are patient and interested in immersion, there is much to discover in a wine like this. If you are more in the mood for an after-work beer — and sometimes one is — then open something else.
This is a formidable food wine for, for example, gently prepared poultry with mushrooms or kid goat served over rosemary-covered potatoes drenched in olive oil.
Serve in a generous glass at a temperature of 16–19°C, depending on temperament and purpose.
This Spanish icon wine can be enjoyed now, but can also be cellared for decades under proper storage conditions.
95 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“textbook Tondonia nose and profile”
95 points vinous.com
“Beautiful old-school Rioja”
