Lopez de Heredia, Viña Bosconia, Rioja Reserva 2013

This is the second, very small allocation, of this wine: this time from the 2013 vintage. Already nearly 12 years old...

Notes of vanilla, leather, smoke, sweet culinary spices, cedar, sandalwood, fig, red cherries and balsam lead to a complex, generous and refined palate that has acres of length, soft tannins and perfect balance. In terms of the style of Bosconia, the 2012 is executed in a traditional fashion with incredible poise and distinction. This is wine that could redefine your concept of Rioja...

It really is flawless winemaking; from a winery that has made the purest art form from the best parts of the best traditions, this is part an act of generosity and part a statement that "great" never goes out of fashion.

The same will be said of all wines made under the name of Rafael Lopez de Heredia and rightly so, as the name sits on some of the most astonishingly profound, complex, elegant and balanced wines to be the end product of a bunch of grapes. The business is currently run by Maria José López de Heredia and her sister sister, Mercedes, who is the winemaker.

It's true, part of the majesty is the age of the wines when they get released (this is a developing, but still youthful 2013) and there is something brilliant about the Crianza bottling often qualifying as Gran Reserva, yet only being deemed as a representative of the Crianza style by the family in the winery. But other wineries age wines very well, too, which means that there must be something else about which this winery is able to boast.

The winery is 140 years old and the philosophy of the best traditions is still to the fore. It seems that one element of tradition that is not a practice is patience; ageing wine for lengthy periods ties up cash and can be risky given market trends and customer preferences, yet here there has been no wavering as they have diligently stuck to their guns and give us these sensational wines, vintage after vintage.

93 Points, Robert Parker