Lopez de Heredia - Vina Gravonia White 2015
López de Heredia is located in Haro, La Rioja , Spain . Its story began in the mid-19th century when French merchants visited the Rioja region to find alternative sources of quality grapes to turn into wine, as the phylloxera epidemic had decimated their vineyards. The founder, Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta , a knowledgeable and enthusiastic student in the art of winemaking, closely followed in their footsteps. Around 1877 he began the design and construction of the complex that today is known as López de Heredia Bodega, the oldest in Haro and one of the first three bodegas in the Rioja region. The estate produces 4 main cuvées; the famous Viña Tondonia (100 hectares), Viña Cubillo (from the vineyard called Viña Cubillas of 24 hectares with plots named “La Encina” and “La Monja”), Viña Bosconia (15 hectares from the El Bosque vineyard) and Viña Gravonia (from Viña Zaconia vineyard of 24 hectares).
The grapes are harvested by hand with a curved knife called "Corquete", to ensure that the skin of the grape does not crack. The red grapes are destemmed before going to the fermentation tanks, while the white grapes are crushed, thus releasing their juice immediately. For rosés, the process is mixed: the skins stay in contact with the must for a period of maceration so that some of the color can be absorbed, but are then removed before fermentation begins. The must is fermented in large oak vats: the largest (with a capacity of 240 hectolitres) are intended for red wine, while the smallest (capacity of 60 hectolitres) are intended for whites. A second fermentation takes place in Bordeaux-style oak barrels, and can last up to five or six months. Once the wines have gone through both fermentation processes and any sediment or lees has been removed, the wine is then ready to age in 225 liter Bordeaux sized barrels. The wines then spend a minimum of 6 months aging in the cellar before being put on sale.
Viña Gravonia wines come from the Viña Zaconia vineyard, located 340 meters above sea level, and whose average age of the vines is 45 years. The wine is entirely made with the Viura grape variety. It is aged 4 years in barrels , with two rackings per year. The 2015 vintage was qualified as very good by the board of directors of DOC Rioja. The 2015 harvest was strongly influenced by a very wet winter with heavy snowfall at the end of January and the first half of February. However, these conditions changed drastically with the arrival of a warm spring with little rainfall, which resulted in early and rapid flowering, with good fruit yield and an advance in the cycle which accumulated until three weeks at the end of summer. The 2015 harvest was therefore even earlier than that of 2014. The wines offer a very satisfactory result both in quality and in quantity, where freshness and elegance must be highlighted as the most remarkable qualities, as well as their remarkable ability to age.
Grape variety: 100% Viura