A look into our insanely rare López de Heredia allocation...

I'm going to be completely honest here.

Wines like this don't show up every day.

I've only heard tales about the rarity of this bottle and the impossibly complex juice that is inside, and I've just now seen a bottle in person for the first time ever.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime wine, if you're fortunate to come across it. It is sought after by the world's top collectors and restaurants and is usually tied up before it gets to retail.

R. López de Heredia is steeped in tradition, but evolves and improves quality at any chance.

They are one of the oldest family-run Bodegas in the Rioja DOC, and winemaking practices and philosophies are passed down from generation to generation.

Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta founded the winery around 1877 when he fell in love with the land surrounding Haro, the capital of the Rioja Alta region. Along with the winery, R. López de Heredia makes all of the barrels that are used for maturation. The oak is sourced from the Appalachian Mountains. They impart a medium toast to the barrels during the bending of the staves.

The wines have slowly evolved over time, but they remain rustic and true to the land they come from. They are famous for their unmistakable house style of red Rioja wines, especially from the Viña Tondonia site. We keep their Red Viña Tondonia Reserva on our shelves at all times as we believe it is the single greatest expression of Rioja for the price. Come try it sometime!!

The Viña Tondonia is a beautiful 100-hectare vineyard that sits in a shell-like depression next to the River Ebro. The vineyard was planted in 1913 and 1914. It is known to be the greatest vineyard in Haro, and consistently produces the greatest wines of the region without question. You'll find alluvial clay soils with a high proportion of limestone, which gives stunning texture and minerality in the wines.

Apart from the legendary red wines produced by R. López de Heredia, there is a unicorn Rosé that is produced in uber-small quantities, and a range of white wines.

I want to talk about the white wines today.

R. López de Heredia ages all of their wines in their cellars before release. They are released when the winery decides they are ready to drink, and the time aging varies from a couple of years to over 20 years.

They make three white wines, all of which show a distinct saline oxidative note that perfectly integrates with the complexity of fruit.

One wine stands out above all.

In the best vintages, R. López de Heredia releases Gran Reserva bottles from the best vines of Viña Tondonia.

The white Gran Reserva is rarer and more sought after than the red. It is for sure a once-in-a-lifetime wine.

It is a blend of 90% Viura and 10% Malvasia. The juice ages in barrel for 10 years and is racked twice a year. The wine is bottled unfiltered. After bottling, the wine is aged in the cellars for an additional 10 years before release. This perfect aging process guarantees complexity and individuality unmatched by any other winery.

Again, these are rare. Really rare. Basically impossible to find, however, we got a surprise allocation of 3 bottles of 2004 R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco for the store. It is an absolute pleasure to offer these wines for purchase at $419.99 per bottle.

The 2004 vintage is widely regarded as one of the greatest Rioja vintages ever.

Low temperatures in March, April, and May caused concern, and budburst was slightly delayed. By July, the weather was significantly warmer and consistent, with no diseases or pests recorded. This was a slow ripening season, and it added to the complexity of the fruit.

The year 2004...

Facebook was first launched in the United States in 2004, and the Boston Red Sox won the World Series for the first time since 1918. What were you doing in 2004? I was 5 years old, playing outside with my sisters.

Enough romance. Let's talk about how this wine shows in the glass, because that's actually where it STARTS to get interesting.

After clipping the iconic bottle cage and breaking the red wax, pour this liquid gold into your favorite glass and be rewarded with hedonistic levels of complexity.

Intense aromas of lemon, butterscotch, pineapple, mushrooms, beeswax, white pepper, celery, asparagus, sea salt, macadamia nuts, saffron, and honey. One sip tells the whole story, with a level of concentration that is unreal. It has a chalky and velvety mouthfeel at the same time, creating a diabolically good texture. It is full-bodied, but the acidity lifts it beautifully. The finish lasts an absurd amount of time.

We are baffled how this wine is even possible. Holy Moly. Once in a lifetime.

P.S. We left the paper on the bottles so that you can experience the first look yourself ;)