What Does López de Heredia Taste Like?
López de Heredia’s wines taste unlike most modern Rioja because they’re aged far longer and made with a style that favors complexity over immediacy. They carry a balance of fruit, savory depth, and earthy nuance, shaped by years in barrel and bottle before release.
- Reds (Tondonia, Bosconia, Cubillo): Expect flavors of dried cherry, plum, and raspberry layered with notes of leather, tobacco, cedar, and warm spices. The texture is smooth, with gentle tannins and a lively acidity that keeps them fresh even after decades. They feel both delicate and powerful at the same time.
- Whites (Gravonia, Tondonia Blanco): These are golden, nutty, and savory. They show citrus peel, dried apple, almond, hazelnut, honey, and herbal notes, with a salty, mineral edge. They’re rich yet refreshing, often described as some of the most complex white wines in Spain.
- Rosado (Tondonia Rosado): Unlike fruity, young rosés, this one is aged for years in oak, giving flavors of dried strawberry, orange zest, herbs, and spice. It has a coppery color, a savory twist, and an ability to age gracefully.
Overall, López de Heredia wines taste old-world, soulful, and layered. They are wines you sip slowly, noticing new flavors with every glass. They don’t shout; they whisper.
History: A Legacy Carved in Stone and Time
When Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta founded his bodega in 1877 in Haro, Rioja Alta, he had a bold vision: to make wines that could last for generations. While Rioja was opening itself up to new techniques and markets, López de Heredia distinguished itself by committing to patience and tradition. Almost 150 years later, the estate is still family-owned and run, now guided by the fourth generation. Their cellars, carved beneath Haro’s famous Barrio de la Estación, are lined with dusty bottles and thousands of oak barrels, housing wines that slumber for decades before release. It is one of the rare wineries in Spain where you can truly taste history.
The Vineyards of Rioja Alta and Alavesa
López de Heredia farms about 170 hectares of vineyards across four key sites: Tondonia, Bosconia, Cubillo, and Gravonia. Each site has its own identity. Viña Tondonia, planted over a century ago along the Ebro River, is the largest and most iconic, producing the estate’s benchmark red and white wines. Bosconia, on clay-rich soils, creates fuller and more structured reds. Cubillo, the smallest parcel, yields grapes for a Crianza that shows the estate’s style in a more approachable way. Gravonia, a single vineyard of Viura, produces some of the most unusual and ageworthy white wines in Rioja. The soils here are a mix of limestone, alluvial deposits, and clay, offering freshness and balance to both red and white wines.
Going Beyond Rioja’s Rules
One of the most remarkable aspects of López de Heredia is how much further they go with aging compared to the official Rioja regulations. By law, Rioja Crianzas must age a minimum of two years, Reservas three years, and Gran Reservas five. López de Heredia far exceeds these requirements. Their Crianzas often spend four years before release, their Reservas more than six, and their Gran Reservas upwards of ten years in barrel and bottle. This commitment means their wines are always released ready to drink but also capable of aging for decades.
The estate also stands out for its use of large, neutral American oak barrels, many of which have been in use for decades. While other producers adopt new French oak for bold flavor, López de Heredia prefers subtlety, allowing their wines to evolve slowly. They are one of the few wineries in Rioja that still operates their own cooperage, maintaining barrels in-house and ensuring consistency. Even their white wines, like Viña Gravonia or Viña Tondonia Blanco, are aged for years in oak—something almost unheard of today.
The Wines of López de Heredia
Viña Tondonia
This is the flagship vineyard and wine of the estate, first planted over 100 years ago along the banks of the Ebro River. The reds are mostly Tempranillo, blended with Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo. They are aged far beyond Rioja’s requirements—often six years or more in oak barrels, then several more in bottle before release. Tondonia reds are elegant but deeply complex, showing dried cherries, tobacco, leather, cedar, and spice. They are built to last, capable of aging gracefully for decades.
The Tondonia Blanco (white) is equally famous and rare. Made mostly from Viura with a touch of Malvasía, it ages for at least six years in oak, developing a golden color and flavors of almond, hazelnut, citrus peel, and honey. It is one of the most distinctive white wines in all of Spain, revered for its ability to age like a fine red.
The Tondonia Rosado (rosé) is perhaps the most unique wine in their lineup. A blend of Garnacha, Tempranillo, and Viura, it undergoes long oak aging like the reds and whites, producing a copper-toned rosé with flavors of dried fruit, orange zest, and savory spice. It’s one of the world’s few ageworthy rosés, released only after years of patient cellaring.
Viña Bosconia
Bosconia comes from a slightly warmer site with more clay-rich soils, resulting in reds that are fuller-bodied and richer than Tondonia. The blends are still Tempranillo-driven but with more Garnacha, giving dark fruit, earthy notes, and robust structure. These wines often show plum, forest floor, and spice, and while they can age for decades, they are typically a touch more forward and generous in youth than Tondonia.
Viña Cubillo
Cubillo is the most approachable red in the range. Classified as a Crianza, it’s still aged longer than many Riojas labeled Reserva from other producers. It usually spends three years in barrel and several years in bottle before release, making it smooth, balanced, and ready to drink when it hits the market. Expect flavors of fresh red fruit, herbs, and a gentle savory note. Cubillo is the gateway into López de Heredia’s style—accessible, yet still made with the same philosophy of patience and tradition.
Viña Gravonia
Gravonia is the white wine that has gained almost cult status among wine lovers. It comes from a single 24-hectare vineyard planted exclusively to Viura. Aged for four years in oak and several more in bottle before release, it develops a deep golden hue and rich flavors of citrus, dried apple, almond, honey, and herbs. Gravonia is oxidative in style, meaning it develops complex nutty, savory tones, but it remains fresh and vibrant thanks to Viura’s natural acidity. This is a wine that changes dramatically with age and can be enjoyed for decades.
Why López de Heredia Still Matter Today
In a world where wine is often about speed and trends, López de Heredia is proof that slowness and tradition still have a place. They don’t buy fruit; everything comes from their own vineyards. They don’t chase scores; they release wines only when they feel the wines are ready. This means every bottle carries not just flavor, but also the weight of time and the pride of heritage. For drinkers exploring artisanal and family-run producers, López de Heredia represents authenticity at its most powerful. Their bottles bridge cult-classic status with genuine accessibility, making them a cornerstone for anyone serious about discovering what fine, handcrafted Rioja can be.
Sources
“The super bargain of the portfolio has to be the red 2017 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza, which this year shows more development and faster aging, with more tertiary notes than the other reds from 2013 and 2014 that I tasted next to it. The frost of April 2017 killed 100% of the vegetal mass at Cubillo, and the grapes they picked were exclusively from the second generation, therefore fruit that ripened in a much shorter cycle, as the harvest was also earlier. It has notes of damp earth, mushrooms, truffles and forest floor, dry leaves and decayed flowers and herbs. It has a polished palate and is medium-bodied, with mostly resolved tannins, and it feels a little lighter. But it's still worth it. It was produced with a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo from vines averaging 53 years of age. It fermented in their old oak vats and matured in used American oak barrels for three+ years. It has 13.5% alcohol, a 3.0 pH and 6.5 grams of acidity. 90,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2023.” — 93 Points, Wine Advocate
Varieties: 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, plus Graciano & Mazuelo 
