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Lopez de Heredia is one of 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 Wine Spectator. 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, with some eclipsing the century mark. A blend of mostly Tempranillo with 15% Garnacha and small amounts of Graciano and Mazuelo, the multi-faceted 2012 Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Reserva was co-fermented in 144-year-old oak vats before undergoing its lengthy aging regimen, spending five years in well-seasoned 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 them 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 95-point 2012 Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Reserva is exquisitely crafted to deliver years of pleasurable drinking for Rioja lovers at an exceptional price. |