Details:
Grapes: Tempranillo (75%), Garnacha (15%), Graciano (5%) and Mazuelo (5%)
Aging: 8 years in barrel
Alcohol: 12.5%
Production: 25,000 bottles
Current vintage 1994, first 1914
Only 20 Gran Reservas made
1985 Vintage:
“Good”
Very good in highest areas, late harvest; Rioja Alta quality was excellent
Gran Reserva made: Fantastic balance of freshness and colour.
Tasting Note:
94 points Stephen Tanzer (IWC): "Pale orange-red color, greeny-gold at the rim. Knockout ethereal nose combines strawberry, minerals, maple syrup, black toffee, truffle and autumn leaves. Juicy, pungent, precise and minerally; a Chambolle style of Rioja, weightless in the best possible way. Dry, brisk and fresh, with penetrating cherry fruit. This will get your salivary glands working. Finishes bright, subtle and long, with easygoing, perfectly integrated tannins and a whiplash of flavor. (Jul/Aug 2003)"
Considered Rioja’s greatest estate and the most traditional Rioja producer
Founded 1877, 4th generation today; only Vega Sicilia compares in history / reputation
Don Raphael: Started buying Tondonia (100 ha), El Bosque (15ha) ~1890
Own grapes; bush vines; Own cooperage from beginning
“As long as…López de Heredia continues to fashion wines in the region, one can rest assured that classic Rioja…will never face extinction.” – John Gilman
“For me, the only winery that works in an authentic way is López” – Telmo Rodriguez
