RIOJA ALERT: 94-Point, $22.79 López de Heredia Crianza!
A triple 94-Point Rioja from the most revered estate in the region for $22.79? Yes! Three months ago we offered, and very quickly sold out of, the 2016 R. López de Heredia "Viña Cubillo" Crianza. Last week we received another shipment and bring it to you today!
Earning heartfelt reviews from Wine Advocate, James Suckling and Vinous, this just might be the best version of Cubillo we’ve ever featured. Given the craze we experienced previously, we’re expecting it to quickly vanish again.
Scroll down for the tasting notes and for a crack at rare 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2010 vintage library releases from López de Heredia. With just a few regular and magnum sized bottles available of each, these treasures will disappear in minutes. As always, simply click the Big Green Button to place your order!
==========
2016 R. López de Heredia "Viña Cubillo" Crianza
Rioja, Spain
~~~~~~~~~~~
We first tasted this Rioja last fall, and loved it. We popped another bottle this week and - well - rekindled the romance. Owner María José López de Heredia likens 2016 to the iconic 2001 vintage, and that is a BIG deal. Quite possibly today's wine is her best Cubillo yet.
A few swirls in the glass reveal aromas and flavors of fresh red plum, dried strawberry, fresh tobacco, bay laurel, red clay, limestone minerality, sandalwood, and a hint of dusty leather. We’re not alone in suggesting this is a best-ever effort for Cubillo. Wine Advocate and Vinous both give it their best ever assessments. At $22.79, the value here anything but normal!
“The 2016 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza was surprising, spectacular, elegant, clean and fresh like few vintages before. It was a superb year, with quality, quantity and freshness. It's quite the opposite from the previous 2015, which was a much warmer and riper year. The 2016s have moderate alcohol and especially the perception of less ripeness (even though the alcohol is very similar). It feels very young, still quite primary. Mercedes explained, 'Cubillas, a 24-hectare plot, is a vineyard that could produce Gran Reserva wines. It's a very good vineyard, but we would miss the Crianza in our range'. In fact, the comment was that this vintage is even a challenge for the Viña Tondonia red 'because of its price.' It is indeed a bargain. 'But it doesn't have the finesse of Tondonia,' concluded María José. Anyway, it's super tasty. 92,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2022. Drink Date: 2024 - 2032.”
- 94 Points, Wine Advocate (2/29/2024)
“Savory berries with aromas of white pepper, blood orange peel, preserved plums, iron and a touch of dust. Still pretty structured and intense, with a medium to full body, but juicy and long. Drink or hold.”
- 94 Points, James Suckling (8/5/2024)
“The 2016 Crianza Viña Cubillo, from Haro in Rioja Alta, underwent a three-year aging process in used oak barrels. Garnet in color, the wine reveals enticing notes of cherry marmalade, complemented by herbal, mint-like hints. Dry, intense and fairly grippy, the 2016 also features a mild chalky texture. Firm and juicy with a vibrant core, it presents itself as a flavorful red in its primary state. I anticipate that further bottle-aging will unlock deeper complexities, and I look forward to revisiting it in the years to come. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2032.”
- 94 Points, Vinous - Joquin Hidalgo (12/2023)
Looking online we found 119 listings with a median of $33. At our beats-every-one-of-those-119-listings-price, this beautiful Rioja will disappear fast, again!
Vin Chicago Price: 22.79
Rare López de Heredia Library Treasures!
- Bottles and Magnums to 24 Years of Age -
R. López de Heredia is the definitive producer of ultra-traditional Rioja wines. For lovers of these benchmark treasures, the estate occasionally releases small quantities of library wines, direct from their cellar in Haro, Rioja.
Today we bring you four vintages of María José López de Heredia’s “Tondonia” vineyard red, the flagship wine of her storied property. Each of these mature Tondonia’s carries a “Reserva” designation and is available in 750ml and/or 1.5 magnum sized bottles. Our supply is absurdly small - just a handful of each! We’ll mark them sold out as they go. Click quick!
2010 R. López de Heredia "Viña Tondonia" Reserva
Rioja, Spain
~~~~~~~~~~~
“This is as complex and savory as the rest of the Viña Tondonia wines, but also shows a tad more depth, with a hint of black plum and blue fruit on top of the orange rind, iron, tobacco and earthy spices. Expect some cedar and truffle to develop in the future. Juicy, zesty and tight, with a dusty tannins and bright berry fruit on the medium-to full-bodied palate. Drink or hold.”
- 97 Points, James Suckling (6/24/2022)
“The 2010 Viña Tondonia Reserva has all I expect from a Reserva from Tondonia, complexity, elegance and evolution, a developed nose with notes of forest floor and wild berries, herbs and flowers, a touch of iodine, brick dust and very fine, polished tannins. It has the seriousness and elegance of Tondonia. This is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho (they use the masculine form of the name of the grape) and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo that fermented in the ancient oak vats from when the winery was created 144 years ago and matured in well-seasoned, American oak barrels for six years. It has 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.4 and 6.6 grams of acidity. 260,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2017. Drink Date: 2022 - 2034.”
- 96 Points, Wine Advocate (7/14/2022)
Just six Magnums available. An epic vintage, and a special bottle to have in your collection!
Vin Chicago Price: 159.99 (1.5 liter)
2007 R. López de Heredia "Viña Tondonia" Reserva
Rioja, Spain
~~~~~~~~~~~
An absolutely classic expression of Tondonia - a must for López de Heredia fans!
“Following the appreciation of the 2007 vintage from María José López de Heredia, the red 2007 Viña Tondonia Reserva is showing great, revealing unusual finesse and elegance. The nose is a little reticent but nuanced and complex, a little shy rather than explosive. The palate is medium-bodied, and the tannins are very refined. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Viña Tondonia Reserva of recent years. 200,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2015. Drink Date: 2019 - 2030.”
- 96 Points, Wine Advocate (6/28/2019)
“This wine spends six years in barrique (tradtionally it needed six winters to stabilize naturally), before racking into large casks and then bottling three years before the expected release. Attractive, dark earth and dried sage with a strong aroma of attractive, rich dried cherries, as well as blackberries and hints of cedar, cigar tobacco and fresh leather. The palate has a smooth array of fine but quite powerful tannin that builds seamlessly into the long, rich, dark cherry-flavored finish. Great wine! Drink or hold.”
- 95 Points, James Suckling (7/4/2019)
“Limpid red. An intensely perfumed bouquet evokes raspberry, cherry cola, potpourri and exotic spices, with a vanilla topnote and a smoky mineral flourish. Sweet and focused in the mouth, offering sappy ripe fruit, spicecake, mocha and rose pastille flavors that flesh out on the back half. Finishes very long and spicy, with a resonating floral note, well-knit tannins and a touch of medicinal herbs. Drinking Window: 2021 - 2031.”
- 94 Points, Vinous - Josh Raynolds (11/2020)
Vin Chicago Price: 87.99
Vin Chicago Price: 159.99 (1.5 liter)
2005 R. López de Heredia "Viña Tondonia" Reserva
Rioja, Spain
~~~~~~~~~~~
This wine is 20 years old! Imagine if the best Napa producer, or most famous Bordeaux estate, released their flagship wine twenty years after the harvest - what would that cost! This is a steal!
“A staggering range of aromas, from dried mango and papaya through toasted nuts to dried flowers. Powerful and concentrated, but not at all fat, this has a stunning texture, due to the interplay of tannins and richness. Very long, intense finish. Drink or hold.”
- 96 Points, James Suckling (6/22/2018)
“(aged for six years in American oak barrels and four years in bottle) Bright red. Vibrant, spice-tinged red currant and cherry aromas are complemented by suggestions of pipe tobacco, vanilla and incense, and a spicy nuance gains volume with air. Sweet and seamless on the palate, offering energetic red fruit and spicecake flavors that pick up a hint of smokiness on the back half. Concentrated yet lively, showing impressive delineation and a sexy floral quality on the extremely long, seamless finish. While this wine is quite seductive right now, I've little doubt that it will cruise along nicely for at least another decade or more, and probably quite a bit longer. Drinking Window: 2020 - 2030.”
- 94 Points, Vinous - Josh Raynolds (2/2019)
Vin Chicago Price: 97.99
Vin Chicago Price: 179.99 (1.5 liter)
2001 R. López de Heredia "Viña Tondonia" Reserva
Rioja, Spain (1.5 liter)
~~~~~~~~~~~
A truly legendary vintage - 2001 is Rioja magic!
“I had the chance to taste a bottle of the 2001 Viña Tondonia Reserva 10 years after it was released, and the wine has evolved beautifully and quite slowly—at least that is the case for these bottles that have been kept in the winery for all these years. It's austere and elegant, with balance and concentration, polished tannins and a chalky texture, long tasty and dry. This is lively and should continue developing in bottle for quite some time...Drink Date: 2022 - 2034.”
- 96+ Points, Wine Advocate (7/14/2022)
“This is very fine and polished after a decade since its release onto the market. It's medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins with a racy and silky texture. Energetic acidity gives it tension and brightness. Still a little tight considering its age. Drink or hold.”
- 95 Points, James Suckling (8/18/2023)
Vin Chicago Price: 209.99 (1.5 liter)
