López de Heredia Wine Offer

Few wineries within North Central Spain’s wine producing region of Rioja have taken on such a cult status like that of Bodegas López de Heredia.

The legendary producer, beloved by sommeliers and connoisseurs all over world, dates back to 1877 when it was founded by Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a winemaker who modeled his technique after the French négociants inhabiting the region because of the outbreak of phylloxera in France. Family owned since its inception, the winery is currently operated by the family’s fourth generation who continue to produce wines that honor their legacy and tradition.

Bodegas López de Heredia, which is located in Haro within Rioja Alta, produces single vineyard wines from their century-old estate vineyards, Bosconia and Tondonia.

For those who have not yet experienced wine from this region of the world, Tempranillo is the main grape of red Rioja and is the most planted grape in all of Spain. Its traditional blending partners are Mazuelo (Carignan), Graciano, and Garnacha. Together, these four grapes (along with Maturana Tinta, authorized for Rioja in 2007) must comprise a minimum 85% of the red Rioja blend, or 95% if destemmed.

The vineyard Viña Tondonia is situated on the right bank of the river Ebro, where the most classic Rioja wines are grown. Soils are alluvial clay with a high proportion of limestone. With vines covering 170 hectares, grapes from Viña Tondonia are always used in making López de Heredia’s highest quality wines.

The Viña Tondonia Red Reserva bottling is comprised of 75% Tempranillo with Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano making up the rest of the blend. Only in the best vintages will the winery bottle a Gran Reserva.

The Viña Bosconia wines come from a vineyard called El Bosque. It is said that Don Rafael gave the wines names inspired by French wines.  Viña Bosconia comes from a Burgundy-style wine that he used to make with a high percentage of Pinot Noir, and which he called “Rioja Cepa Borgoña”.

The El Bosque vineyard is situated next to the river Ebro at an altitude of 465 meters and it is one kilometer away from the winery.  Vines are planted on the south-facing foothills of the Sierra Cantabria range, providing them with the perfect conditions for ripening. The soil is a mixture of clay and limestone, and the average age of the vines is 40 years.  El Bosque consists of 15 ha, 11 of which are Tempranillo, 2 ha of red Garnacho ,1 ha of Mazuelo and 1 ha of Graciano.

The Viña Bosconia bottling is 80% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho, and the remainder Mazuelo and Graciano.

True to its high standards of quality, López de Heredia carefully monitors all stages of production, from meticulous selection by hand in the vineyards to an on-premise cooperage owned by the family. In most of the winery’s vineyards (they own four vineyards total), the vines are more than 40 years old. The winery’s top red and white wines often undergo a decade of aging in American oak barrels and spend additional time resting in bottle prior to release.

It’s an absolute honor to present Mayacama members with access to the carefully aged and highly allocated wines of Bodegas López de Heredia. The Viña Bosconia and Viña Tondonia Reserva bottlings from the 2011 vintage are both available, along with just six bottles of Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva 2001.

Additionally, we have been given access to just one bottle of Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva 1961. All wines are being sourced from Hiram Simon's WineWise, the official California importer of Bodegas López de Heredia.

As always, please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions regarding these wines and thank you for your continued support.

Cheers!

Carey Vanderborg, Wine Director

WINES BEING OFFERED:

López de Heredia, Viña Tondonia Reserva 2011 ($60/btl)

López de Heredia, Viña Bosconia Reserva 2011 ($40/btl)

López de Heredia, Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva 2001 ($185/btl) (Limited)

López de Heredia, Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva 1961 ($1,650/btl) (Limited)