2015 Lopez de Heredia Rioja Crianza "Viña Cubillo", Rioja, Spain

ABOUT THIS WINE

Viña Cubillo wines come from the vineyard called Viña Cubillas, some 4 km away from the bodega, which as with all of the other vineyards, was bought by our founder. Historically these wines were called "Special Harvest". Vina Cubillas has an altitude of 410 m, and the vines have an average age of 40 years. The soil is from the terciary age and is a mixture of clay and limestone. Viña Cubillas covers 24 ha, of which 16 ha are under Tempranillo, 4 ha Garnacha, 2 ha Mazuelo and 2 ha Graciano. With parcels called "La Encina" and "La Monja", Viña Cubillas is a vineyard that produces exceptional wines sold as Crianza. These wines could be easily be marketed as Gran Reservas due to the exceptional combination of soil, aspect and vines.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Lopez de Heredia - one of the most venerable producers in Spain– produces traditional, age-worthy Rioja. Their wines are legendary and still made the way they were when the winery was founded over 130 years ago. Following a tradition that has been passed down through generations, their wines are released at least 5-10 years after harvest, which provides added complexity and elegance to their Crianzas and Gran Reservas.

A rarity in Rioja, Lopez de Heredia uses only estate bottled fruit from their prized vineyards- Tondonia, Cubillo, Bosconia, and Zaconia- with the idea that the only way to get the best fruit is to care for the vines themselves. The Tondonia vineyard is their most famous; over 100 hectares, it is situated in a shell-shaped depression on the right bank of the river Ebro, where the most typical Rioja wines are grown. The soil is alluvial clay with a high proportion of limestone. Average vine age is 45 years old and organic farming and natural fermentations are implemented, creating wines that exhibit great terroir. Grapes from Viña Tondonia are always used in making their highest quality wines, with truly exceptional vintages becoming Gran Reservas. The first Reserva was bottled by the founder in 1890; a few bottles of this are still kept in the family wine museum.

The winery itself is a remarkable structure. When D. Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta began building the bodega in the late 1800's, little did he realise that his masterpiece would one day be acknowledged as an example to the rest of the industry of the most perfect combination of buildings and vineyards. Like many medieval masterpieces it is still incomplete. The buildings stand below and above ground, and are a veritable "cathedral to wine". Moving through the vaulted underground corridors and staircases, you find yourself travelling back in time, and the founder’s touch can still be sensed in the very stones and fabric of the building.

Lopez de Heredia is the epitome of everything our shop loves in a wine: small production, beautifully expressive and complex wine, organically farmed, family-owned, and woman-made!