López de Heredia is the greatest name in Rioja, known for its traditional practices, ancient cellars, and the outstanding wines it produces.



A brief history lesson: in the late 19th century, the plague of phylloxera hit France and devastated the regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy. Winemakers quickly began looking for alternative places to grow grapes, and the warm, dry plain of Rioja looked like a pretty good option. Many estates still extant here have their roots in this flight south.

López de Heredia was founded in 1877 by Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a Chilean immigrant of Basque origins, who came to Haro by way of France. After working as a wine merchant, he began purchasing vineyards that today are synonymous with quality Rioja. Like many producers at the time, his goal was to recreate the famous recipes of France with Spanish material — in essence, to make Bordeaux and Burgundy out of a hodgepodge of unfamiliar varieties, most notably Tempranillo.

Viña Bosconia is the estate’s approximation of Burgundy, and is the only wine sold in a curved Burgundy bottle. Of course, it’s not Pinot Noir; rather, it’s a blend of 80% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha and a splash of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano. It rests in house-made barrels for 5 years, and after bottling, it’s left to age in those old, cold cellars until its release. Like all of López’s wines, this aging regimen is well beyond what’s legally required. A lot of wineries would call this wine a Gran Reserva, though López calls it a simple Reserva. It’s powerful, age-worthy and deep.

And yes, comparing Rioja to Burgundy is like comparing apples to oranges, but there's no arguing that clay and limestone soils impart something very special to a wine. Bosconia, a vineyard site located next to the Ebro river and in the foothills of the Sierra Cantabria mountain range, has plenty of both. The 2013 has just been released, and it’s another terrific wine from a most iconic winery.

López de Heredia, Rioja Reserva 'Viña Bosconia', 2013 $44.99
“The 2013 Viña Bosconia Reserva even in a cooler and rainier year, like 2013, has a rounder body and still 13.5% alcohol…This matured in barrels for five years and was bottled unfiltered…It's expressive, elegant and subtle, clean and complex, with polished tannins and very good acidity.” — Luis Gutierrez, the Wine Advocate