R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia, Vina Cubillo Crianza 2016, DOCa Rioja, Spain

2016 vintage – 70% Tempranillo, 20% Grenache, 5% Graciano and Mazuelo. Aged for 36 months in new French and American oak barrels. Deep ruby color. Taste: Fleshy and fruity. Nose: Intensely scented with fresh red berries and spices. Palate: Supple, ample and round, with a long a delicately tannic finish. Viña Cubillo wines come from the vineyard called Viña Cubillas, some 4 km away from the bodega. Historically these wines were called “Special Harvest”. Vina Cubillas has an altitude of 410 m, and the vines have an average age of 40 years. The soil is from the terciary age and is a mixture of clay and limestone. With parcels called “La Encina” and “La Monja”, Viña Cubillas is a vineyard that produces exceptional wines sold as Crianza. These wines could easily be marketed as Gran Reservas due to the exceptional combination of soil, aspect and vines. Bodegas R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia sit on a total area of 53,076 square meters, of which 19,718 are built, corresponding to 3,433 square meters to the underground cellar, with drafts up to 200 meters long, at a depth of more than 10 meters, drilled in the heart of a colossal block of sandstone, on whose sides endless rows of barrels are extended (12,900 Bordeaux barrels are kept in their bowels).