2010 was a great vintage in Rioja in general and seems to be exceptional here, with a 2010 Viña Ardanza Selecci?n Especial (what used to be Reserva Especial) that can challenge any of the recent vintages and hopefully can develop in bottle to reach...
The 2011 Rioja Gran Reserva 904 has been one of my go-to cuv?es since my earliest days as a wine lover. This latest release is a blend of 60-year-old Tempranillo from Briñas, Rodenzo and Villalba (89%) and the remainder Graciano from the Montecillo...
2006 was a hard year to follow, even if 2007 was a great year in Rioja and exceptional for L?pez de Heredia. The 2007 Viña Bosconia Reserva shows a little tannic, fulfilling the reputation for being a more rustic wine than Viña Tondonia. The...
I loved the nose of the 2014 Viña Bosconia Reserva, a red that sells at an incredible price for the quality, the problem is (like all their wines) finding it... They had to accelerate the harvest to avoid botrytis caused by the abundant rain during the ha...
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 201...
The 2012 Viña Tondonia Reserva comes from a very dry year, with 25% less rain than the average (at the time), resulting in lower yields of very healthy grapes that delivered wines with nice balance between alcohol and polyphenols, making it very apt for t...
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. ...
The 2012 Viña Bosconia Reserva is perhaps a little too young (María José López de Heredia likes more polished wines, and for her this wine was too tough), with some tannins and the chalky texture from the limestone soils. This blend of Tempranillo with 15...