The wines of Spain's Rioja region -- known and respected around the world -- owe their prominence to three factors: terroir, an affinity for oak, and the included grape varieties. Within the corpus of Rioja winemaking, there is an ongoing debate between "traditionalists" and "modernists" with the former favoring long aging in American oak barrels while the latter favor shorter aging periods in French oak.
Lopez de Heredia falls squarely into the "traditionalist" camp.
The estate -- founded over 135 years ago by Don Rafael Lopéz de Heredia y Landeta, "a knowledgeable and enthusiastic student in the art of winemaking" -- has forged and maintained a reputation for high-quality wines through its focus on vineyard care, rigorous grape selection, and oak-barrel ageing. It is the only estate to have been awarded a Diploma of Guarantee by the Rioja DOC regulatory authority as recognition for never having used non-estate grapes in its wines.
Grapes for the estate's wines are grown in four separate vineyards, each of which is dedicated to a specific label. The particulars of the vineyards are presented in the table below.
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| Lopez de Heredia Vineyards |
Grapes are hand-harvested by families of harvesters from Portugal and Spain and are taken to the winery in tractor-drawn trailers. At the winery they are placed in de-stemming machines before moving to fermentation containers. The red wines ferment on the skins while the white have no skin contact. Rosés macerate but are removed from skin contact prior to fermentation. The must is fermented in large oak vats: 60 hectoliters for whites and 240 hectoliters for the reds.
Red wine fermentation at Lopez de Heredia is a two-step process. The first phase lasts for seven days and includes pumping-over. At the end of this phase the must is drained off the remaining solids. The second fermentation (5-6 months) takes place in Bordeaux-type oak barrels and has as its goal the removal of residual sugar.
After fermentation the wines are aged in 225-liter oak barrels. The wine is exposed to a slow oxygenation process, facilitated by the pores in the wood, and are racked once or twice a year during the ageing process.
The population of the Bodegas' wines are presented in the table below. The table indicates that Lopez de Heredia is a producer of some significance and that the production of Viña Tondonia dwarfs that of all the other labels combined.
Tasting the Wines of Lopez de Heredia
The following notes are curated from a series of Spanish-themed wine dinners in which I participated and have been reshuffled for temporal consistency. The tastings include: an Andrew MacNamara MS-led vintage Spanish wine tasting held at the Bull and Bear; a Bern's dinner with Parlo, Ron, and Bev; a Rioja wines blind tasting held at Luma; and an Aged Spanish Wine Tasting held at the home of WJ.
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| Andrew McNamara MS and Dhane Chesson |
1994 Lopez de Heredia Gravonia Blanco and 1994 Tondonia Blanco. Melissa (Swirlery) indicated that the oxidative notes of the Gravonia felt more like a Jura wine, or even a Sherry, while the Tondonia had a richer, nuttier feel, like a black walnut.
1987 Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Blanco. The Tondonia was bright and fresh and was less oxidative than I had expected. It was a refreshing way to cleanse the palate at the end of the evening.
1964 and 1973 Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonio Blanco -- The 1964 was a beautiful wine. Notes of honey and burnt orange. Nutty with massive minerality. Palate cleansing and palate pleasing with a never-ending finish. The 1973 was disappointingly slow out of the gate. It was less lively, and appeared older, than the 1964. It was also lighter-bodied. With some residence in the glass it lifted its head off the floor but it was truly outclassed.
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| 1964 and 1973 Tondonia Blancos |
The 1991 Lopez Heredia Bosconia exhibited coffee, earth, and great integration between oak and fruit. Intense pepper spice, great acidity, and an expressiveness on the palate. This wine was drinking beautifully. Andres tagged it as his second wine of the night: "dried flowers, wet earth, forest floor, road tar, lovely aromatics, very Burgundian."
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| Photo Credits: Anne Ryan |
R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia 1976 -- Cherries, earth, licorice, musty cellar, spice, and a savoriness on the nose. Smooth and elegant on the palate with some structure still in evidence. Sweet berries, good acidity, and long sweet finish.
Lopez de Heredia Bosconia 1954, 1961, and 1968 -- The Bosconia wines were all darker than any of the wines that had gone before. The 1954 showed waxy dark fruit, spice, nutmeg, leather truffles, and licorice. On the palate medium-bodied with sweet dark fruit. Lengthy finish. The 1961 displayed stewed dark fruit, wax, coconut, and spice. Bright on the palate. The 1968 was elegant. Earth, bramble, and dark fruit on the nose. Lengthy, bitter finish.
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| 1954, 1961, and 1968 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Tintos |
1981 and 1985 Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonio Tintos -- The 1981 was perfumed and floral with red fruit, bramble, baking spices, and coconut on the nose. Smooth and elegant on the palate with strawberry, citrus, burnt orange, and leather. The 1985 was broader on the nose with coconut and red fruits apparent. Bright red fruit on the palate and higher acid levels. Coal tar. Lead pencil finish.
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| 1981 and 1985 Tondonias |
1970 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia -- Oxidative notes along with red fruits, black olives, tobacco, cedar, and herbs on the nose. Balanced. Sour cherries, dark red berries, earth, herbs, and oxidative note on the palate. Long complex finish.
1961 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia -- Violets, red berries, tobacco, leather, sandalwood, soy and herbs on the nose. Cherries, earth, anise, herbs, and spice on the palate. Good acid levels and smooth tannins. Balanced entry to a long, complex finish.
1961 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia -- Violets, red berries, tobacco, leather, sandalwood, soy and herbs on the nose. Cherries, earth, anise, herbs, and spice on the palate. Good acid levels and smooth tannins. Balanced entry to a long, complex finish.
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As Thomas Matthews has stated in the Wine Spectator, "The wines of R. Lopez de Heredia define traditional Rioja and they set the standards by which the region's modern reds must be judged. The white Gran Reservas have few parallels in the world of wine ... they are unique, complex and alluring."
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