The Wine
This wine is so rare and sought-after by its avid fans that my allocation was a miniscule three bottles! If you're at all interested and have the wherewihal to spend a c-note+ on a fascinating bottle of wine, I'd move quickly.
A blush wine with over 11 years on it is nothing to take lightly. The wine's dark, onion-skin color provides only the briefest of hints at what this wine has to offer. But a simple visual inspection does this wine a disservice as even an experienced observer will be surprised by what this wine has to offer beneath the cork. Aromas of dried red currants and earth with a hint of a savory spiced custard. Surprisingly fresh and persistent.
But it's the taste sensation that will really make you smile - still fresh, with sufficient acidity to balance the wine's rancio/sherry notes and complement the spiced-pomegranate fruit notes. A huge, long finish that encourages savoring this wine over the course of an evening.
Food pairings: While the acidity argues for contrasting with salty and/or fatty foods, this wine really should be the main event. Serve with simple side dishes such as salted amonds or pecans and maybe a good blue cheese - dolce, if available.
Why This Wine?
I first tasted the gems of Lopez de Heredia at on of the annual “Top 100” tastings in San Francisco - back in the day when we could all get together in an enclosed space. These impressive tastings feature the top 100 global producers, and the Heredia wines were among the standouts (I’ll always remember their white wine from the 1961 vintage, a marvel like no other I’ve tasted. Current price? Just this side of a grand!)
Yes, these wines age well! Grown by Spain’s top producer who is, frankly, a bit mystified by their sudden global stardom and stratospheric scores, as they’ve been producing these wines in the same way for generations. If you're not familiar with Heredia, I’m pleased to be the one who introduces them to you. You'll tank me later.
Tondonia is their more prestigious vineyard, and tends to garner greater scores. But the wines from Tondonia require a bit more age than other Heredia wines. This one, for example, is still quite the baby, as it's capable of rewarding those with sufficient patience to lay it down for another decade. Or three.
A note on their "Reserva" designation - the wine ages (first in large oak casks and then barrels and then bottles) for longer than the law requires. In fact, Heredia ages their Reservas as long or longer than the law specifies for the term "Gran Reserva" - why? They have the wherewithal to hold every wine until they feel it's ready for release, regardless of the category it is destined for - Reserva or Gran Reserva be damned!
Worth Watching
I recorded a video introducing the Heredia winery. It's posted on YouTube and the QR code on the back of every bottle links to it, but you can get a sneak peak here, just copy/paste this non-active link into a browser -
https://youtu.be/PNl2RWRNaa0
