2017 Lopez de Heredia 'Cubillo' Crianza, 750ml

R. López de Heredia is one of Spain’s most iconic wineries, born in the late 1800s when French winemakers fled phylloxera and turned to Rioja for grapes. A young Don Rafael López de Heredia took note, founded his bodega in Haro in 1877, and set the tone for a house style rooted in tradition. Their wines are classic blends of tempranillo, garnacha, graciano, and mazuelo, balanced and complex in a way single-variety Riojas often aren’t. What really sets them apart is patience: instead of rushing wines to market, they age them in their 84-acre underground cellar until they’re truly ready—Cubillo crianza, for example, spends nine years aging, with at least three in American oak. The result is unmistakably old-school Rioja: stewed red and black berries layered with earthy tobacco, umami, and a touch of herbs from the oak.