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Renowned among collectors as one of Rioja’s most traditional and iconic producers, the richly layered 95 pt. 2012 Lopez de Heredia Vina Reserva Bosconia reveals fresh and aromatic spiced fruit with refined acidity and smooth, velvety tannins polished to perfection by extended aging, released ready to enjoy over the next decade or longer and an incredible value.
Established by Don Rafael Lopez in 1877, Lopez de Heredia is Rioja’s only remaining family-run Bodegas, adhering to the winemaking doctrine of its founder for over a century by crafting its wines from estate grown fruit and aging them in its original subterranean cellars near the Haro train station in La Rioja Alta. Home to a combination of old, well-worn barrels, ambient yeasts, mold, and cobwebs, the estate’s labyrinth of underground cellars are considered key to its signature style, resulting in wines that “would be impossible to replicate outside the walls of this Rioja standard-bearer” according to the Wine Spectator’s Gillian Sciaretta. Planted mostly to Tempranillo in clay and limestone soils, the 2012 Bosconia was sourced from the 12-hectare El Bosque vineyard situated in the foothills of the towering Sierra de Cantabria near the Ebro River at 465 meters of altitude, its low yielding vines averaging over 40 years of age and ranging to over 100 years. A blend of mostly Tempranillo with 15% Garnacha and small amounts of Graciano and Mazuelo, the multi-faceted 2012 Lopez de Heredia Vina Reserva Bosconia was co-fermented in 144-year-old oak vats before undergoing its lengthy aging regimen, spending five years in well-seasoned oak barrels crafted from hand-selected American oak timbers in the estate’s onsite cooperage, then bottled unfiltered and cellared for another five years, yielding rich, plump fruit and polished dusty tannins that will continue to evolve.
Calling it the pinnacle of traditional, classic wines, Neal Martin of Vinous sums up the Lopez de Heredia Riojas as “distinguished, individual, long-lived and above all, delicious,” the rich and refined 95 pt. 2012 Lopez de Heredia Vina Reserva Bosconia exquisitely crafted to deliver years of pleasurable drinking for Rioja lovers at an exceptional value. |