94-Point López de Heredia Classic for $24.79!

As the unequivocal leader of traditionally crafted Rioja, López de Heredia sits alone atop the mountain. We’ve said it before, and it deserves repeating. No one does old school Rioja better!

“You can’t fully understand Rioja without tasting the wines of R. López de Heredia.”
- Vinous, Joaquin Hidalgo 

We’ve just taken delivery of the 2017 López de Heredia "Cubillo" Crianza. Aged for eight years prior to release, this deliciously nuanced Rioja has earned multiple 93- and 94-Point reviews. Amazingly, despite the quality of the wine and the stardom of the estate, the price is still under 25 bucks.

Without doubt, this is the best Rioja bargain on the market. We only wish we were able to get a bigger allocation! Check out our notes below, then click the Big Green Button to get in on the fun.

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2017 R. López de Heredia "Cubillo" Crianza
Rioja, Spain
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With a single deep whiff of this medium ruby-garnet colored wine, you'll know you have a traditional Rioja in your glass. Dried red fruits, forest floor, cedar chest, spice box and leather are all here, and they are all in beautiful balance.

“The super bargain of the portfolio has to be the red 2017 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza”
- Wine Advocate, February 2025

Sweet and sour red fruits expand with air to reveal nuanced complexities of dusty red earth, cigar wrapper, potpourri, bergamot tea, dried raspberry, dried barrel staves and tat lifted mineral tone which López de Heredia wines always seem so show.

Finishing long, with dried fruits lingering, this medium-bodied Rioja will pair beautifully with chicken, salmon and just about anything off the grill. It's a lovely wine.

"Cubillo is always sold as a Crianza, partly because it's always been done that way, but has nothing whatsoever to do with the kind of high-volume wines you find on supermarket shelves. Pairing Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 5% each of Graciano and Mazuelo, all from the 80-year-old Cubillas vineyard, this is sweet and savoury, with lots of racy cranberry acidity and sinewy tannins."
          - 94 Points, Tim Atkin (6/2024)

“The 2017 Viña Cubillo combines 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 5% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo from Rioja Alta. This aged for three years in American oak barrels. Offering vinous aromas, gentle oak and dark fruit with herbal notes, the frost-hit vintage provided lighter fruit and greener flavors. Smooth, juicy and slightly chalky, it nonetheless retains the fine-boned elegance of the Cubillo style. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2037.”
          - 92 Points, Vinous - Joaquin Hidalgo (5/2025)

“Very good. Not fruity but lightly savory with a touch of oranges, iron, cloves and preserved plums. Subtle, bright and firm, this has medium body and a long finish. Drink now or hold.
           - 93 Points, James Suckling (7/28/2025)

“The super bargain of the portfolio has to be the red 2017 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza, which this year shows more development and faster aging, with more tertiary notes than the other reds from 2013 and 2014 that I tasted next to it. The frost of April 2017 killed 100% of the vegetal mass at Cubillo, and the grapes they picked were exclusively from the second generation, therefore fruit that ripened in a much shorter cycle, as the harvest was also earlier. It has notes of damp earth, mushrooms, truffles and forest floor, dry leaves and decayed flowers and herbs. It has a polished palate and is medium-bodied, with mostly resolved tannins, and it feels a little lighter. But it's still worth it. It was produced with a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo from vines averaging 53 years of age. It fermented in their old oak vats and matured in used American oak barrels for three+ years. It has 13.5% alcohol, a 3.0 pH and 6.5 grams of acidity. 90,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2023. Drink Date: 2024 - 2036.”
          - 93 Points, Wine Advocate (2/27/2025)

Median online retail is $35, and it's worth every penny of that amount. At today's price, our supply of this classic, nuanced European red will go fast!

Vin Chicago Price: 24.79

Plus Last Call on their 2013 Viña Bosconia Reserva!

2013 R. López de Heredia "Viña Bosconia" Reserva
Rioja, Spain
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Sourced from their limestone soiled El Bosque vineyard, Viña Bosconia - the only wine in the López de Heredia collection presented in a Burgundy shaped bottle - gives a sublime elegance more commonly associated with top reds from Burgundy than those from Rioja.

Traditional from the get-go, the 2013 Bosconia pours a slightly hazy garnet-ruby color with glimmers of brick orange. On the nose, it shows rugged earth, muted fruit and mature elements. After several swirls, it opens to reveal lovely notes of dried and macerated strawberry, red plums and black cherry, with organic notes of leaves, roasted herbs, baking spices and red soil chiming in.

Sublime in its softness, the texture interplays beautifully with a medium tannic grip, brightness and length. We’re a solid 93 points. The critics score as high as 95.

“R. López de Heredia Reserva Bosconia 2013 is a mature, full-bodied Rioja red produced from mostly Tempranillo with 20% in Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo sourced from El Bosque, a 58-year-old vineyard. From a wet vintage but beautiful nevertheless with its juicy raspberry, red cherry, plum and wild berry flavours silky and lithe on the palate. Elegant and nicely done considering the challenges. Enjoy it through 2032.”
          - 94 Points, Natalie MacLean (8/5/2024)

“Savory berries, preserved plums, iron, orange peel, dry earth, walnut husks, graphite and mussel shells. Full-bodied with depth and excellent structure. Tannins are grippy yet fine-grained and juicy, with a long, bright finish. A select, concentrated vintage. Drink from 2026.”
          - 95 Points, James Suckling (8/5/2024)

“The 2013 Viña Bosconia Reserva even in a cooler and rainier year, like 2013, has a rounder body and still 13.5% alcohol. They also insisted that 'remember that we can use 15% of wine from another vintage, and perhaps we topped this one up with wine from 2015. We want consistency year after year.' This matured in barrels for five years and was bottled unfiltered but fined with egg whites. It's expressive, elegant and subtle, clean and complex, with polished tannins and very good acidity (pH 3.3 and 6.7 grams of tartaric acid per liter of wine). 70,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2021. Drink Date: 2024 - 2033.”
          - 93+ Points, Wine Advocate (2/29/2024)

One of the great reds of Rioja, and still priced well under $50. Incredible!

Vin Chicago Price: 35.99