<div class="wysiwyg-text-align-center">The Wines of López de Heredia: 1954 –
1998 </div>

<div>

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 1995 Viña Gravonia Blanco Crianza 
 </td>
 
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1988 Viña Tondonia Blanco Reserva 
 </td>
 
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1981 Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva &nbsp;&nbsp;
 </td>
 
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1964 Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva 
 </td>
 
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1998 Viña Bosconia Reserva 
 </td>
 
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1998 Viña Tondonia Reserva 
 </td>
 
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1987 Viña Tondonia Gran
 Reserva 
 </td>
 
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1976 Viña Tondonia Gran
 Reserva 
 </td>
 
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1976 Viña Bosconia Gran
 Reserva 
 </td>
 
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1970 Viña Bosconia Gran
 Reserva 
 </td>
 
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1964 Viña Bosconia Gran
 Reserva 
 </td>
 
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1954 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva 
 </td>
 
 <td>
 90+?
 </td>
 
 </tr>
</tbody></table>

López de Heredia is one of the
historic bodegas in Rioja, with a rich lineage dating
back well over a century. The estate produces age-worthy, traditional Riojas of
the highest level. These are among my favorite Riojas, and I have been
fortunate to drink more than my fair share of the wines over the years. A few
months ago I had the opportunity to taste an extensive collection of older
vintages with importer Doug Polaner and proprietor Maria Jose López de Heredia when
López was in New York to present the estate’s new releases. Actually the term
“new releases” is a bit of an oxymoron when it comes to the wines of this bodega, as included in the group was the 1981 Tondonia
Blanco Gran Reserva! Needless to say it was a great privilege to taste pristine
examples of these wines, which were brought over from the estate’s cellar for
this tasting. In today’s frantic world I can only applaud an estate that goes
to the time and expense of cellaring wines, waiting to release them only when
they are ready to drink.

“It is
impossible to talk broadly about vintage characteristics in Rioja because the
region is vast and encompasses so many different microclimates that generalized
statements are of little value,” says López.&nbsp; “In addition, in Rioja
we have a tradition of blending wines from different vintages, so in the end
what really matters most is the quality and style of the producer. The
exception to blending is our Gran Reservas which consist of 100% wine from the
declared vintage. Naturally what makes these Riojas great, and therefore deserving
of the Gran Reserva designation, is that they don’t need any adjustment with
the wines of other vintages.” 

The estate produces two whites, Viña
Gravonia which is 100% Viura, and Viña Tondonia, which is predominantly Viura with
15% Malvasía. The Gravonia sees two years of oak aging followed by extended
bottle aging, while the Tondonia sees four years in barrel and is also aged in
bottle for several years prior to being released. In exceptional vintages a
Gran Reserva, which spends six years in barrel, is bottled.&nbsp; The whites see anywhere between 12-24 hours
of skin contact during fermentation which gives them much of the structure of
red wines. They will show their best if they are given some air in a decanter
and served in large glasses at cellar temperature rather than chilled. Simply
put, these are among the world’s most unique white wines.&nbsp; 

López de Heredia is perhaps most
famous for its great reds, in particular the Gran Reservas Viña Tondonia and Viña
Bosconia it releases in top vintages. Both wines are made from field blends of predominantly
Tempranillo with smaller percentages of Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano.&nbsp; Garnacha gives the wines more fruit and
higher alcohol while the Mazuelo and Graciano provide the acidity that allows
the wines to age for decades. The varietals are fermented together and vinified
in the classic, traditional style, with long fermentations. The Gran Reservas
will spend anywhere from eight to nine years in American oak after which they
are aged in bottle for a further eight to nine years at the estate’s cellars prior
to being released. Although the estate periodically re-releases wines from its
extensive library the bottles are not re-conditioned in any way and represent a
unique opportunity to taster older wines of unparalleled provenance. With
proper cellaring both the white and reds are capable of aging gracefully for
decades, so attempting to assign drinking windows seems somewhat superfluous. 

“Both the Tondonia
and Bosconia vineyards have similar soils, but it is the altitudes and
exposures that are different,” adds López. “In
reality Tondonia is a large plot so it has many different exposures, but in
general the wines from Tondonia are riper owing to the lower altitude of the
vines and the higher percentage of Garnacha. The Viña Bosconia is made from
vines planted at a higher altitude and contains a larger percentage of Tempranillo.
These two elements combine to produce wines that are more structured, with
livelier color, higher acidity and greater aging potential. Because the fruit
ripens later at Bosconia the harvest there typically takes place a week or two
later than in Tondonia.”&nbsp; 

The 1995 Viña Gravonia Blanco Crianza
is a great way to start the afternoon. It is a captivating wine, with a
gorgeous perfumed nose and notes of flowers, peaches, apricots, smoke, spices,
minerals and roasted nuts that develop in the glass with soft, supple
personality and wonderful length on the palate. At 11 years of age, it appears
to be miraculously youthful. 92/Anticipated maturity: 2006-? Our first Viña Tondonia Blanco, the 1988
Reserva, is somewhat less generous and open, displaying an understated, somewhat
reticent personality. It offers notes of roasted nuts, smoke and subdued,
delicate fruit with outstanding length, yet it is defined by a noticeably more
compact frame and tends towards minerally and steely notes. It should drink
well for at least another decade. 91/Anticipated maturity: 2006-2016. 

The richly-colored 1981 1981 Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva captures
the essence of this house’s wines. It is a wine of great complexity as well as contrasts.
At once mature yet seemingly ageless, full-bodied yet somehow also miraculously
delicate, it displays evolved sensations of earthiness, smoke, roasted nuts and
dried apricots in a more oxidative style with great persistence on the palate
and enough acidity to make me think it will drink well for at least another ten
or so years. 93/Anticipated maturity: 2006-2016. The showstopper of this
first flight was clearly the 1964 Viña
Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva. Blessed with an extraordinarily deep, intense
yellow color as well as an exotic combination of candied orange peel, roasted
nut, mineral and dried apricot flavors, it is a stunning effort. Though rich
and lush on the palate it never comes across as being heavy and maintains a
lovely sense of freshness that provides balance. Impossible to believe this is
a 40+ year old wine. A great effort. 94/Anticipated maturity: 2006-? 

We then
moved into the first of several flights that showcased the estate’s reds. The medium-bodied
1998 Viña Bosconia Reserva opens
with an irresistibly ethereal nose followed by well-defined notes of clean,
focused cherry fruit, roses and licorice. It offers outstanding length, bright
acidity and the structured personality that defines the wines of this vineyard.
With some air it is drinking well today although patience will be highly
rewarded. This is much more expressive than when last tasted a few months ago.
92/Anticipated maturity: after 2010. The 1998 Viña Tondonia Reserva is decidedly more flashy and opulent
than the Bosconia in its heady suggestions of macerated cherries, licorice,
menthol, tobacco, sweet oak and minerals. It offers wonderful purity and great
length in a riper expression of Rioja that is more approachable today and hints
at being slightly further along in its evolution than the Bosconia. 91/Anticipated
maturity: 2006-? The 1987 Viña Tondonia Gran
Reserva displays an expressive, perfumed nose with suggestions of cedar,
leather, licorice, cocoa and minerals along with ethereal layers of sweet fruit
that open in the glass. Although it offers excellent length and prominent
acidity which will allow the wine to drink well for at least another decade its
overall balance is not quite as outstanding as that of the best Gran Reservas
in this tasting. 91/Anticipated maturity: 2006-? 

Thirty years after the vintage the two 1976 Gran Reservas still fully
express the qualities of their unique terroirs. The
outstanding 1976 Viña Tondonia Gran
Reserva offers a multitude of tertiary nuances in its suggestions of
leather, licorice, coffee beans, earthiness and dried prunes on a medium-bodied
frame of notable elegance. It is sweeter and riper than the Bosconia Gran
Reserva, with a resonating note of alcoholic warmth that frames the long, lingering
finish. 92/Anticipated maturity: 2006-? The seductive 1976 Viña Bosconia Gran Reserva is
another ethereal beauty, revealing an expressive nose along with notes of
earthiness, sweet perfumed fruit, cocoa, flowers and an occasional hint of
white truffle that floats out of the glass. Fresher and more vibrant than the
Tondonia Gran Reserva, it offers outstanding length and notable structure in an
understated yet profound expression of Rioja. It is that rare wine that invites
contemplation by engaging all of the taster’s senses. A great effort. 95/Anticipated maturity: 2006-?&nbsp; 

The tasting concluded with a series of wines from the 1950s, 1960s and
1970s, although the two 1976 Gran Reservas turned out to be pretty hard to top.
The 1970 Viña Bosconia Gran Reserva
is a captivating effort, with endless, well-defined nuances of pine, minerals
and sweet red fruits that emerge from the glass in a breathtaking display of
purity and class. It shows the extraordinary length, great expression and the pure
breed of a truly great wine. 93/Anticipated maturity: 2006-? As is to be
expected, the 1964 Viña Bosconia Gran
Reserva is the most mature of these Bosconias. Although it opens with an
evolved, ethereal nose of leather, cocoa, licorice and cedar it is more
youthful on the palate where it offers layers of sweet dark fruit, excellent
length and outstanding overall balance. 91/Anticipated maturity: 2006-? The
1954 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva
displays the classic Tondonia nose, with suggestions of tobacco, minerals and
alcohol. Less expressive on the palate, it shows sweet, perfumed dark fruit
with excellent length. Although all the elements of a great wine are there, for
some reason they just don’t seem to come together and this bottle isn’t completely
representative. 90+?/Anticipated maturity: 2006-? 

--
Antonio Galloni</div>

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