López de Heredia is a rare example of a winery that has managed to remain true to its original form for almost 150 years. They believe in tradition, patience, and the idea that great wine cannot be hurried. And yes, sometimes, it takes a lot of time. Their story proves that the old ways of doing things are sometimes the best ways.

History

López de Heredia stands as one of the ancient and most honorable figures in the world of Spanish wines, with a legacy that reaches back to 1877. Its founder, Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, was attracted to the Rioja Alta at a time when French winemakers were desperately looking for fresh sources of grapes after phylloxera had leveled their vineyards. He discerned promise in the neighborhood of Haro, among its unusual combination of soils and climate, and began construction on what would become the López de Heredia winery, the oldest in Haro and one of the first three in all of Rioja.

The family has owned the estate since its inception. Four generations have watched over the legacy of Don Rafael, who embodied the virtues of patience, respect for nature, and the practice of enology in a way that is, well, right. Today, the estate is led by María José López de Heredia, who makes sure that the family traditions carry on, even as she oversees the making of wines that have, like the family, endured the test of time.

The Vineyards

López de Heredia has approximately 170 hectares (around 420 acres) of vines, all in the Rioja Alta. The winery stands apart from many other Rioja operations that source grapes from numerous small growers. López de Heredia does not use grapes from outside its own vineyards. By having grapes sourced only from its own land, the winery is in full control of the quality of its wines—all the way from the vineyard to the bottle.

Viña Tondonia, the most well-known vineyard, is planted along the Ebro River. It spans roughly 100 hectares and is famed for its production of both red and white wines. Other significant vineyards are Viña Bosconia, Viña Cubillo, and Viña Gravonia. Each vineyard possesses a unique character and is named on the bottle, a practice that underscores the importance of place in their wines.

The care of the vineyards combines tradition with sustainability. The majority of work is done by hand, and the team at the estate believes that great wine begins in the vineyard and not in the cellar.

The Terroir

The varied soils and mild climate of the Rioja Alta region are both crucial to the wines of López de Heredia. Their vineyards consist of a mix of clay, limestone, and gravel that, together with the region's gentle geology and topography, create a strange deluge of microclimates throughout the vineyards that López de Heredia works. Each of these climates has a great effect on the grapes that perform in each part of the vineyard.

The climate brings together influences from both the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and there's plenty of rain to keep the vines not just healthy but thriving, and plenty of sun to ensure that the grapes ripen slowly and evenly. The Spanish word for balance is "equilibrio," and it's no wonder the winemakers here use it so often. The wines are fresh, complex, and built to last. Each vineyard on the estate has its own set of conditions, its own microclimate, which almost guarantees that the wines from Tondonia, Bosconia, Cubillo, and Gravonia will all taste a little different.

The Grapes Used

López de Heredia adheres to the classic Rioja grape varieties. For red wines, the principal grape is Tempranillo, typically blended with Garnacha (Grenache), Graciano, and Mazuelo (Carignan). The white wines come mainly from Viura (also known as Macabeo), with some Malvasía and a bit of Garnacha Blanca.

The estate emphasizes creating wines that reflect the particular vintage and vineyard in question. When it comes to producing a red, white, or rosé wine, their always-considered blend is about balance and, just as importantly, tradition.

Way of Winemaking

At López de Heredia, the art of winemaking is a steadfastly traditional affair. Methods that might well have been abandoned in favor of newer technologies are preserved here—carefully, lovingly, and for good reason, as anyone who has tasted the wines will attest. Grapes are still picked by hand and, after reaching the cellar, subjected to the most assiduous sorting that one can imagine. Only then do fermentation and the otherwise vinous labors begin. And as with the old ways, there is little in the way of mechanization utilized here; everything is done by hand, by eye, and by instinct.

What distinguishes López de Heredia from the rest is that they use giant American oak barrels for aging and often for much longer than required by Rioja’s rules. Their reds can spend six to eight years in barrel, whites aren’t far behind, and the winery even makes its own barrels in-house, which seems a rare practice these days.

Following barrel aging, the wines spend a number of additional years in the bottle before they are brought to market. This allows the wine a generous length of time in which to develop both complexity and a layered character. They are not filtered, and very little is done in the way of night-and-day intervention in the cellar. The idea is to allow the wine to exist in as close to a natural state as possible and to let it express itself in a direct and unadulterated way.

3 Fun Facts

- A Family Business: For over 140 years, López de Heredia has been a family-run business. And until the next century comes along, it will be 100 percent family-owned, too—a succession of generations ensuring the same course, not varied from one part of history to its next.

- Coopers: Very few wineries still make their own barrels. This is one of the few that does, because it gives them total control over how their wines age.

- Perfectly Aged: Most producers release their wines much earlier than this well-respected Rioja estate, but not López de Heredia. Their reds and whites often hit the market a decade after harvest, arriving not only at their peak but also at a price that could be called something other than a steal if it weren't for the sheer quality of the wines.