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Winery: Bodegas López de Heredia

Country / Region: Spain / Rioja

Date Winery was established: 1877

Grape Variety: Viura

Year the vintage was first released: 1988

Alcohol Content / Volume: 12.5% / 750ml

Ratings: 94 pts Tim Atkin

Good To Know: Highly regarded as one of the world's greatest wine estates, Bodegas López de Heredia is highly renowned for their traditional Rioja winemaking style focusing mainly on Tempranillo with the addition of lesser amounts of Garnacha and Mazuelo in their blends. Also amazing to note is their use of very old oak vats of varying sizes and wood origin as well as the deep, dark network of tunnels where their cellars for aging wines are located. These network of cellars have produced evocative names such as El Cemeterio and La Dolorosa.

Founded in 1877, Vina Tondonia's sprawling winery complex in the capital of Rioja Alta, Haro, is one of the oldest in the city and one of the first in the region. Their vineyards extend to around 100 hectares on an amazing site of alluvial clay with high traces limestone; over a gorgeous view of the Ebro river. The company that owns Vina Tondonia, R. Lopez de Heredia also own 3 other vineyards in the region: Viñas Cubillo, Bosconia and Zaconia.

The 2017 Viña Tondonia Gravonia Blanco Crianza from the legendary R. López de Heredia is a fascinating expression of 100% Viura, forged in one of the most uniquely challenging and historically significant Rioja vintages of the modern era. The 2017 growing season was famously defined by severe spring frosts that drastically reduced the region's overall yields. However, this intense natural thinning of the crop, followed by a warm and dry summer, resulted in surviving grapes of extraordinary concentration, pristine health, and striking aromatic power. For the meticulously crafted Gravonia, this extreme vintage translates into a white wine of remarkable depth and tactile richness. Aged for four years in the estate's ancient American oak barrels, the 2017 perfectly balances the profound fruit concentration of the year with the vibrant, electric acidity characteristic of López de Heredia's whites, offering complex layers of beeswax, dried chamomile, toasted almond, and baked orchard fruit.