WTN: 1999 R. Lopez de Heredia Rioja Viña Cubillo

• 1999 R. Lopez de Heredia Rioja Viña Cubillo - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja (4/19/2007)
  has the look of an aged wine - pale, pale ruby.
  Out of the chute the wine was showing nothing - I thought it was DOA.
  With a few minutes of air, however, it stretched and came alive. Nose of tobacco leaf and forest floor - on the palate the wine is in beautiful balance - ample acid frames cherry flavored fruit - I thought I caught a whiff of brett, enough to add complexity - not enough to mark it down.
  Very tasty, and a bargain at less than $20 US. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Oh, they do nice stuff! They also have an aged Rose in their lineup - the current release is a 1995. It's certainly got an aged character to it, with plenty of tertiary flavors (rose hips anyone?) that integrated beautifully with the fruit. For me though, the stars of their lineup are the whites.

1987 R. Lopez de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia
The current release vintage. Well ambered, and not fruit-driven in the slightest. Rather, a very autumnal character to this wine, with forest floor and dried leaves coming to mind. Balanced acidity. At a tasting, this wine made everyone sit up and take notice. Not a food wine, but a fantastic apertif.

Last month they offered some wine out of their library and I sprung on one - a '70 Tondonia red. I'm looking forward to trying it soon!