Finding Religion in Rioja Traditions
1976 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Gran Reserva Rioja
Image courtesy of flickr.com
I had one of the wine worlds equivalent to a religious awakening last night, when I was given the opportunity, by my good friend, to enjoy a bottle of the 1976 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Gran Reserva along with a grilled rack of lamb, fennel and roasted potatoes.
So having been a long time believer in the wine of Rioja and a recent convert to the believe that Rioja’s are capable of long term aging I set out to find more information on Bodegas R. Lopez de Heredia. Here is what I found.
This is one of Rioja’s most classic producers and releases its wines only after a very long aging period. To get a sense of how long the wines are aged at the winery one must only look as far as the label of the current release wines:
Current release white wines
- 1999 Viña Gravonia Crianza (that’s 10years of aging for a white wine!)
Current release Rosé Wines
Current release Red Wines
History
The wineries founder, Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, came to the mythical capital of Rioja Alta called Haro and quickly realized that there was the right combination of soil and climate that had the potential to produce some of the best wines of Rioja. So in 1877 he began the design and construction of the López de Heredia bodega, which is today on of the oldest wineries in Haro and one of the first three in the entire Rioja region. Since this time the bodega has remained family run 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 run by Maria José, Mercedes, and Julio Cèsar.
This powerful quote should give you an idea as to what tradition
and a commitment to excellence means to the winery:
“For us, tradition and conviction are life-long attitudes. Our winemaking process has been passed on from generation to generation, and our daily tasks are rooted in tradition, yet at the same time based on our deep belief in the validity and modernity of our methods. By “tradition”, we do not mean immobility and opposition to change; rather a dynamic and aesthetic concept in maintaining eternal principles and criteria. We are perfectly aware of the rhythm of change, and for this reason, our openness to change, our flexibility, our non-conformism and our self-criticism enable us to face the future. What we have inherited from our ancestors is what converts our idiosyncrasies into positive qualities and attitudes.”
The Winemaking process “Tradition”:
The fruit is harvested by hand, usually in October. Whole families of harvesters come from Portugal as well as Spain, returning year after year. The primary goal of the hand harvesting is to ensuring that the grape skins are not broken, they also use special containers made in the López de Heredia cooperage, which have a capacity of just under a hundred kilos (220 pound). The containers are then emptied into the weighing machine – in hoppers. From there the grapes pass to the de-stemming machines, which gently break the grapes to extract the must. This must comes into contact at once with the yeasts on the grape’s thin waxy coating.
The must is fermented in large oak vats. The biggest, with a capacity of 240 hectolitres (5300 gallons). Yeasts are vital to the quality of the wines since they cause fermentation; and the winery uses native yeasts which are typically found in the soil, and are spread over the grape skins by insects and the wind. The main microflora in La Rioja are Scharomyces, Kloekera apiculata and Tomlaspora rosei.
During the biological process of fermentation transformed into alcohol. The temperature never exceeds 36ºC..
During the vinification of the red wines, the solid part (skins and pips), form a thick floating layer called a cap, which has to be circulated in order to activate the oxygenation of the yeasts. This process of “pumping over” makes the maceration more homogeneous and helps the extraction of color. The fermentation usually lasts about seven days, during which time the must is transformed by the yeast into wine. However the wine maintains a small percentage of residual sugar which has to be removed in a slower subsequent fermentation.
Before initiating the second fermentation for red wines, the wine is drained from the vat in order to separate solids from liquids. This second fermentation takes place in Bordeaux-type oak barrels, and can last up to five or six months. The desired result is a softer, more perfect wine.
Barrel Aging:
Once wines have been through both fermentation processes, the sediment or lees are removed, and the wine is then ready to be aged in 225 litre American oak (yes American!, this is part of Rioja tradition) barrels in the wineries underground cellars.
During this period, a very slow process of oxidation (esterification) takes place through the pores of the wood, which play an important part in the development of the wine’s bouquet. This biological process is complemented by periodic rackings (once or twice a year), to remove the sediment that settles in the bottom of the barrels. The rackings are carried out with rigorous precision, so that the impurities are in contact with clean wine the shortest time possible
The winery states “Ageing wines should be seen as a pedagogic act; the wine is “educated”, and hence should never be rushed through speeded-up improvisations which would destroy the biological process which give it its character. Wines need to spend a minimum of three years in barrels to begin to manifest their ‘education’.” Ten years is the maximum barrel ageing permitted in the Rioja Alta region, and anything more than six years is unusual unless the wines are destined to become Grandes Reservas.
image courtesy of flickr.com
Bottle Aging:
The wines are then clarified with fresh egg whites and are then immediately bottled directly from the barrel, without any filtering, and sealed with a high quality cork. The corks are further sealed with wax to prevent any contact with the exterior influences during their many years in the cellar.
The Result:
López de Heredia’s greatest wines are their two red Gran Reservas—Viña Tondonia and Viña Bosconia — aged 6 to 8 years in old barrels, which mellows the fruit, allows for natural clarification, and gives the wines a wonderful complexity. But even after these Gran Reservas are bottled, they’re not released for sale; López de Heredia often keeps them a decade more before release.
Tondonia, Gravonia, and Bosconia refer to single-vineyard designated sites from which the winery grows all it’s fruit. The blends from year-to-year do not vary much: Tondonia whites are made (generally speaking) from 85% Viura, 10% Malvasia, and 5% Garnacho Blanco.
The Tondonia reds are a blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha (Grenache), and 10% Manzuela and Graciano, the classic Rioja proportions. The backbone is provided by Tempranillo. Its ageing-capabilities and alcohol content are derived from the Garnacha, while the acidity and color come from the Graciano and Manzuela grapes. Of the last two varieties, Graciano is a high-yielding vine in which the grapes never reach full maturity, while Manzuela has a very long ripening cycle and also rarely reaches maturity; both therefore provide the acidity for which Lopez wines are famous. Gran Reserva wines are chosen especially for particularly great vintages.
If you have never tasted traditional style Rioja and are looking for a religious wine conversion Lopez should be at the top of your list. However, if you love big jammy new world reds with tons of fruit you may be disappointed, after all God is not for everyone, that’s why we have Satan.
1976 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Gran Reserva Rioja
My Tasting Notes:
In the glass; pale garnet colored core fading to a light brick red rim. On the nose; developing aromas of raspberry, black plum, orange zest, coffee, milk chocolate, forest floor and a hint of dried rose pedals. On the palate; dry with a hint of sweetness, with medium plus acidity giving lift to red fruit flavors of raspberry, red cherries, and plum. Showing incredible balance of acid & fruit, ending in a long finish. This wine is elegant , rich and powerful but still manages to finish fresh.
If you are lucky enough to find it BUY it and give me a call so I can come over.
Cheers,
ChrisO
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