Farmstead Cheeses and Wines

Botani Moscatel Seco In February 2009, at a Spanish wine luncheon hosted by Sara Floyd, MS (National Sales Manager for Jorge Ordoñez), I was blown away by the first wine poured - a dry vinted Moscatel (Muscat d'Alexandria).

Wow!  This is amazing stuff - floral and herbal but bone dry, with a surprisingly rich, smooth feel on the tongue.

Then I found out that Restaurant Michael Mina had purchased all of the 2007 vintage available in the Bay Area. Drat, I thought I had found the perfect club wine.  "Don't fret Jeff, " Sara told me, "the '08 is on the water."   Well, we featured the '08 in the June '09 Classic Club, much to the delight of many of our customers. 

The 2009 Vintage arrived the other day and Whoa, I like the '09 vintage even better!  

This month we present two wines from Lopez de Heredia - a legendary producer of Rioja: 2000 López de Heredia Viña Gravonia Blanco, Rioja and 2004 López de Heredia Cubillo Rioja Crianza.

Gravonia, the white wine, is 100% Viura (called Macabeo in other parts of Spain).  Time and oak has transformed a fruity young wine into a mature wine with an oaky nose which retains a certain echo of the white viura grape. On the palate too there are still traces of a grape freshness overlaid by the tannins from older oak together with a pleasing touch of acidity. Brilliantly paired with tapas, any kind of fish and shellfish and poultry.  Lopez de Heredia white wines are exceptionally interesting and full of complexities and flavors that are unique. Gravonia has wonderful acidity, vibrant lemon zest and carmelized fruit flavors and impeccable balance. Give it a short decant before serving and you will be well rewarded.

Cubillo, the red wine,  is Lopez’s answer to Rioja Crianza.  Following the style of all their wines, this wine could be labeled a class above - as a reserva - but they keep it a crianza. It compares to most other Rioja wineries’ reservas since the wine is aged 3 years in oak, followed by another 2-3 years in bottle. The resulting wine is fruit forward but with developed, older wine aromas.  65% Tempranillo, followed by 25% Garnacha (Grenache), 5% Mazuelo (Carignan), 5% Graciano.  Organically farmed. 

Little about López de Heredia has changed in the 125 years since its founding. The family adheres to a winemaking doctrine blueprinted in the 1880’s — to make wine only from their own vineyards, using natural yeasts, long aging in wood, and no filtration at bottling.

The winery and vineyards, some of the first in the region, are located in the Alta Rioja’s capital city, Haro. Unlike most of its competitors, now owned by outside investors, López de Heredia is owned—and every detail of its operation is handled—by the family who founded it. The bodega is now in the capable hands of the family’s youngest generation, Maria José, Mercedes, and Julio Cèsar.

If you haven’t tasted traditional style Rioja – we mean no chemicals, no pesticides, no chaptalization, no machines, only hand-harvesting, only hand-racking with oak funnels, and 4 barrel-makers on staff, etc., etc. – Lopez should be at the top of your list.