Lopez de Heredia - Rioja Viña Gravonia Crianza blanc 2016

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

2016 was a superb vintage in Rioja, and the Viña Gravonia Blanco 2016, which has the cellar aroma that all wines, especially whites, have, due to the longer time the wines spend in barrel. The white vines in this vineyard are now 92 years old, and their juice has been fermented in old oak vats with indigenous yeasts. We've never used selected yeasts," they explain. The wine was aged in their well-seasoned American oak barrels for four years. It's paler than all the other whites, and a little less spicy, with very good freshness. It is elegant, subtle, clean and airy. Yields were good and the climate favorable. I give these wines a conservative drinking window, but they will probably last much longer. 2025-2032

Vinous

About the wine:

López de Heredia's white wines are legendary, and Viña Gravonia deserves its place in the pantheon. The Blanco Crianza Viña Gravonia 2016, 100% Viura from the Gravonia vineyard in Rioja Alta, has undergone four years' barrel aging, followed by a further four years in bottle. This yellow wine with subtle golden highlights has aromas of peach and fennel, accompanied by a hint of floral tea and a delicate layer of oak. Dry and refreshing, it has a bold texture. This savory white lingers on the palate with a hint of hazelnut. 2024-2036

James Suckling

About the wine:

Aromas of cashew nuts, toasted almonds, saffron, white truffles, honey, dried lemons and beeswax. Lively acidity, cream, nuts and subtle white fruits on the palate. Long and tasty. A beautiful wine with a minute-long finish. A classic Lopez de Heredia and one of the best. 100% viura. To drink or to keep.