Bodegas Lopez de Heredia: a sense of place, a sense of history
Sweet strawberries and raspberries, leather, a touch of vanilla, a palate that contrasts lip-smackingly fresh acidity against the maturing aromas of the bouquet, very fine tannins, superbly integrated oak, and a wonderful, long finish. For the third vintage in a row, Lopez de Heredia have hit it out the park, and their 2006 is the very closest of the three vintages to the great 2001.
Fashions come and fashions go in wine as in everything else. And it is true that Lopez de Heredia fell out of fashion in the 1990s, and latterly has returned with a vengeance. But fashion has never concerned anyone at the bodega, where they have remained uncompromisingly wedded to the same winemaking model they have used (to very great success) ever since they were founded back in 1877. In the 1990s, when other bodegas were experimenting with denser extraction and French oak, Lopez de Heredia continued to do things as they always had done, looking ever more anachronistic. Their oak still comes from the Appalachians, Ohio and Michigan, and is seasoned and made into barrels at their own cooperage. They still age their reservas in oak well beyond what is required by law and refuse to release the wines until they believe them to be properly ready. It must drive the accountants up the wall.
Yet in one important way, Rioja is just catching up with Lopez de Heredia. While historically the region was built on cooperatives and the buying-in of grapes, the cutting edge in the region is all about site-specificity and named vineyards. Yet this is the way it has always been at Lopez de Heredia. Every red wine they release is named after its vineyard. And on the border of Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, sloping down towards the River Ebro, is their finest site; meticulously assembled from the purchases of yesteryear, the vineyard Tondonia. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold; for shipment Autumn 2018
