López De Heredia Tinto

Description

López de Heredia A Viña Tondonia is a stunning vineyard covering more than 100 hectares, situated on the right bank of the Ebro River where the most typical Rioja wines are grown. The soil is an alluvial clay with a high proportion of limestone. The vineyards, tended with enthusiasm and love, cover a total area of 170 hectares and yield an average annual harvest of about 800,000 kg of grapes. The grapes from Viña Tondonia are always used in the production of the highest quality DOCa Rioja wines, and naturally, with truly exceptional harvests. The first “Reserva” was bottled by the founder already in 1890, and some bottles are still kept in the family wine museum. The foundation of a good wine is manual harvest, bunch by bunch, something no machine could duplicate. Manual cutting, using a curved blade called a “corquete,” prevents the grape from crushing and releasing must that could ferment prematurely. To ensure this doesn’t happen, containers made in the López de Heredia cellar are used. And thus begins the dialogue between grape and oak that endures for years as the wine ages. The final part of the grape harvest occurs when the containers are emptied into the weighing machine in small batches. From there the grapes go to the destemming machines, which gently break the berries to extract the must. This must immediately contacts the yeasts in the thin waxy layer of the grape. The must is fermented in large oak vats with a capacity of 240 hectolitres. A first fermentation lasts about seven days, during which the must becomes wine. However, it retains a certain amount of residual sugar that needs to be removed in a subsequent slower fermentation that takes place in Bordeaux‑style oak barrels and can last up to five or six months. The result is a smoother, more refined wine. After the two fermentation processes and the removal of sediment or lees, the wine is ready to be aged in 225‑litre American oak barrels in underground cellars, with perfect temperature conditions and absolute tranquility. Barrel aging period: 6 years, racked twice a year and clarified with fresh egg whites. Bottle aging period: resting, unfiltered. Food pairing: A fine and enveloping wine with spice and vanilla notes from the wood ageing, pairing perfectly with hot salads with quail or poultry; puff pastries; foie gras with raspberry reduction; roasted lamb or pork suckling; sausages and soft‑cheese; mushroom dishes or elaborate starters. Extremely versatile, it adapts to a variety of combinations and moments. Awards 95/100 Robert Parker (2012 vintage) 95/100 Tim Atkin (2012 vintage) 95/100 Decántalo (2012 vintage)