Daniel M

9.0

R. Lopez de Heredia, Viña Cubillo, Rioja Crianza 2017
This is one of the many bottles we brought back in the trunk of our car from Spain and France after our summer stay over there. The nose shows dark berries, prune, meat juice, autumn forest soil after rain, oak. This is rather complex and layered. The palate is very well made and defined. There is a good acid drive, some nice dark berries and dark cherry notes all along, some width, some spices, a good tannic wall in the rear, disturbing ever so slighlty the mouthfeel by leaving a grippy, drying layer over a long, fruity, spicy finish which goes on for quite a while. The meat juice note that was showing in the nose makes a come back in the very end, adding a savoury, umami touch which is pretty nice, I must say. It's not at the level of the viña tondonia 2011 I tasted a while ago (and it costs only a fraction of the price) but it's very good Rioja Crianza in its own right. Not in-your-face, fresh and balanced winemaking style. Great effort !
90 out of 100 — 8 days ago

Joel Lara

9.4

Upon opening, this seemed a bit disjointed, with muted fruit flavors and strong herbal notes. Decanting didn’t seem to help much, but day 2 it finally opened up nicely, with nice complexity and intensity on the palate. Cherry, raspberry, cassis, bay leaf, dried Italian herbs, anise, cloves, vanilla, cedar, earth, and balsamic notes all come through. Really tasty, but maybe a bit too intense. I can see this improving with a few more years of aging so the flavors coalesce and soften a bit more. — 2 months ago

Chris MacLean

9.3

Big winner at dinner tonight — 6 months ago

with Alessandro, Sarah and 2 others

Stan Nguyen

9.7

Fantastic chilled red. Super drinkable. Would be great for summer BBQs. — 5 years ago

Kamall

9.0

Really light touch, spicy and fresh with good acidity. Totally avoids the cloying sweetness and excess weight of most CA Zinfandel. — 5 years ago

Rich Mueller

9.4

What do you think? — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Splash decanted and enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 2014 “Viña Bosconia” pours a deep garnet/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Montmorency cherry, dill, toasted coconut, tobacco, leather and dry earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and elegant. Delicious already in its relative youth and there’s a long, bright future ahead. Drink now with patience through 2044. — 13 days ago

farzad farzin

9.2

2012 had it with t bond and NY steak — a month ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

A blend of mostly Tempranillo with Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo, aged 5 years in American oak, deep Ruby red color with aromas of ripe fruits, spice and tobacco notes. On the palate flavors of plum, blueberry and ripe cherry with spice, tobacco and cedar notes. Fine big rustic tannins, long finish, savory ending with tobacco and leather notes. Nice! — 3 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

Blend of Tempranillo and Graciano. Medium ruby color with a dark core and orange rim. Aromas of coffee, leather, ripe red fruit, wet stones and forest floor. Flavors of black berry/currant/plum fruit, black licorice, balsamic vinegar and roasted meat and nuts. Long earthy and slightly spicy finish. Pleasant acidity and silky (but slightly chalky) tannins. Full bodied, round and elegant. Beautifully aged. Thanks for sharing, Keith S! Happy 60th Birthday, Karyn! — 5 months ago

Erja Koistinen

9.0

Perfect with iberico. We all liked this. Tätä voisi juoda vaikka jouluna kinkun kanssa. — 4 years ago

Becky lyttle

9.3

Forgot how much I loved this deep, inky purple wine. It’s rich, velvety - enjoy it with food, but a great red to slowly sip and savor. Worth the treat. — 5 years ago

Cameron Etezadi

9.2

Again another super vintage of this wine. Refreshing crisp melon notes and slight mineral aftertones. — 6 years ago

romo

9.2

Just when you think it’s going to Thelma & Louise, it spawns wings and lifts off. - at Franklin PT — a month ago

Holly Morgan

10

Blood orange and cloves as well as cherries in the nose. A bit of vanilla as it opens up. Tastes of tangerine and clove with a sweet cherry after taste. — a month ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.4

Touch of over the hill but still OK. Lost color. More for the geeks and aficionados - than the casual wine drinker. So this review is for you guys. — 3 months ago

Julia

9.0

Vine Styles- excellent with red sauce, on sale for $25 — 3 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.1

Adventuring past Lopez or Rioja Alta slways intrigues- this ‘12 beauty is broad & generous. Black fruited & rich, medium acidity. While Rioja Alta’s lineup may have finer tannins & more acidic snap on the back end, this is all about the fruit. — 4 years ago

with Owen

Alejandro Narvaez

9.0

Buen nivel se complejidad, importante decantarlo — 6 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.3

You have to understand that not many wines ( well, that’s a bit bombastic) give me more pleasure consistently than this, the most recent release-2010! From Calabretta . Kinda like Lopez de Heredia meets Vallana, ie Nebbiolo, though it is Nerollo Macalese. Smoked, tar, roses, fine & integrated tannins on the palate- strong mid palate which in my imagination has gotten stronger with age. Super lithe and really ethereal body- light, light to medium body but gorgeous acid spine, strong presence. Not a light wine. Bought a case or so a while ago-I fear the day I am down to one. Polaner importer. — 6 years ago