Rioja, Spain
The great López de Heredia estate is the bastion of all that is traditional, noble, and great about Rioja. One of the few remaining family-run bodegas in the Rioja zone, López de Heredia is defined by its impeccable vineyard sites, its steadfast adherence to traditional methods, and its long ageing program in barrel and in bottle. Just released, López de Heredia’s 2012 Viña Cubilla Crianza could by law be labeled as Gran Reserva, but the bodega reserves that designation for its even longer-aged cuvées. A blend of Tempranillo (65%), Garnacha (25% ), Mazuelo, and Graciano, the wine reflects its extended sojourn in barrel with an amber-rimmed black cherry robe and mature aromas of sun-warmed cherries, cinnamon, mint, pipe tobacco, and coconut husk. Suave, elegant, savory, and especially long in the fine 2012 vintage, the Viña Cubillo resonates with palate impressions of damson plum and boysenberry fruit accented by cloves, cedar, graphite, licorice, sweet tobacco, vanilla bean, and cinnamon. Food-friendly tannins emerge on the long finish to frame the wine’s complex fruit expression and ensure further evolution in the bottle. Long, delicious, and right up our alley, we encourage you to try this beauty now and over the coming decade with meat tapas, potatoes sautéed in olive oil, hearty bean stews, braised duck, and hard sheep’s milk cheeses.
An August 2021 newsletter selection
