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.
Recipes
For the White Rioja: Roast Chicken with Sourdough Bread Salad, Lettuce and Peas Serves 4
This is a great dish to serve outside on a warm, lazy summers day with glasses of the brilliant Gravonia Bianco.
Chicken:
2 ounces sea salt
2 allspice berries
2 fresh bay leaves
1 clove garlic
1 piece lemon rind, removed with a peeler
1 star anise
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 pinch ground nutmeg
2 whole small chickens,
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried Italian oregano
2 tablespoons butter
Bread Salad:
1 pound day-old sourdough bread, crusts removed and torn into 2 inch pieces
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
4 shallots, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped pancetta
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons currants, soaked for 10 minutes in warm water
1 teaspoon dried porcinis, ground to a fine powder
1/2 cup hot chicken stock
Braised Peas and Lettuce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons bacon, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chicken stock
1 baby romaine lettuce, cut length ways into eighths
1 1/2 cup shelled peas, cooked and cooled
For the Chicken:
Combine all the ingredients, except the chicken, smoked paprika, dried oregano and butter, to a saucepan with 1 gallon of water over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until the salt has dissolved, bring to the boil and cool. Add the chickens to the brine and refrigerate for 6 hours, then remove from the brine, rinse well and pat dry with absorbent paper.
Preheat the oven to 375F and place Rub the chickens with olive oil and season with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, smoked paprika and dried oregano and place in a roasting pan. Place the chickens in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes until chickens start to brown, baste with pan juices, lower the heat to 325F and continue to cook a further 45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes until cooked through. Rest for 10 minutes. Using a sharp knife, remove the meat from the bones.
Bread Salad:
Scatter the bread on an oven tray, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Drizzle with another more olive oil and vinegar. Meanwhile, heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat, add shallots, garlic and pancetta and cook for 5 minutes or until onions are soft, add the bread, pine nuts, currants and porcini powder and cook for 2 minutes, add stock, stir to combine and season to taste. Keep warm.
For Lettuce and Peas:
Heat olive oil in a saute pan over low heat, add shallots and bacon, cook for 20 minutes or until onions are soft, add garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until soft. Add butter and cook for 1 minute or until starting to foam, add stock and cook for 5 minutes or until reduced by one third. Add the lettuce and cook until wilted, then add peas and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Season to taste.
To serve, divide bread salad and braised lettuce and peas between 4 large dinner plates, top each with a 1/2 a chicken and serve immediately.
Note Ask your butcher to prepare the chickens.
For the red: Bricklayer Steak Serves 4
The brilliant Argentine chef Francis Mallmann created this dish in honor of the bricklayers, carpenters, and all the building trades of the city of Buenos Aires that prepare dishes like this for their daily lunch over quick fires using scrap wood and a chapa (cast iron griddle)
2 pounds beef tenderloin, butterflied and pounded to 1/2 inch thickness-have the butcher do this for you
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 head of garlic, smashed and peeled
1 small bunch of oregano
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
4 small avocados
Juice of 2 lemons
1 small bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
1 jalapeno chile, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 small ripe tomatoes
4 scallions, sliced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Sea salt and pepper
1/4 cup creme fraiche
Cut the meat into 4 equal pieces. Place in a baking dish and add the bay leaves. Combine the red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, garlic, oregano, peppercorns and olive oil in a small bowl and pour over the meat, turning to coat all sides. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
To make the guacamole, combine the onion and bell pepper in a bowl. Halve, pit and peel the avocados. Chop into tiny dice, add the onion and bell pepper, and toss with the lemon juice. Stir in the cilantro, jalapeno and olive oil. Season with the salt and pepper and set aside.
To make the salad, combine the tomatoes, scallions, vinegar, olive oil and parsley in a small bowl. Season with the salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat a chapa or two cast iron skillets over medium-high heat until very hot. Place the meat on the hot surface and cook, without moving, for about 3 minutes on the first side, 2 minutes on the other until medium rare.
To serve, spread each steak with 1 tablespoon of crème fraiche. Top with a large spoonful of guacamole. Serve with the tomato salad on the side.
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