WINES

2011 Lopez de Heredia, Viña Bosconia, Reserva, La Rioja, Spain
2014 Trombetta Family Wines, ‘Gap’s Crown’ Pinot Noir, Petaluma Gap, Sonoma
2021 Pax, Sonoma-Hillsides Syrah, Sonoma

LOPEZ DE HEREDIA
2011 Viña Bosconia, Reserva, La Rioja, Spain

Tempranillo (80%) – Garnacho (10%) – Graciano (5%) – Mazuelo (5%)

It is not an exaggeration to say that Lopez de Heredia is among the most important and historic wine producers not only in Spain, but in the entire world. They have been the model for traditional Rioja wines for over 140 years, producing some of the most historic, age worthy, and magical wines on the planet. Founded in 1877 by Don Rafael de Heredia, the estate is now run by his great granddaughters Maria-José (who is also the winemaker) and Mercedes, and has always been family owned and operated. So many things about this producer are truly unique:

They only estate fruit for their wines (most producers in La Rioja purchase fruit from growers or lease land for their grapes).
All of their wines are single vineyard ‘crus’, not blends from different parts of the region.
Aging protocols go far beyond the standards for Spanish DO laws.
All of their wines, including the whites, are fermented in LARGE oak vats as old as 130 years which are continually maintained and repaired by the estates own coopers.
They age all of their wines exclusively in American oak, and for extended periods of time. All of the oak barrels are built in the estates own cooperage which produces some 30,000 new barrels each year!

While the two white wines, Tondonia and Gravonia, are among the rarest and most transcendent whites on the planet, their three red wines represent the model for traditional Rioja winemaking. These three wines, Viña Tondonia, Viña Bosconia, and Viña Cubillo, offer a deep look into the role of time in winemaking and wine enjoyment. In La Rioja, red wines are generally aged to result in one of three designations: Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. These indications are a guide to how the wines were aged, and typically explain not only pricing, but quality and longevity. The aging standards for the La Rioja DO are:

Crianza: Minimum 1 year in oak / 2 years total aging
Reserva: Minimum 1 year in oak / Minimum 6 months in bottle / 3 years total aging (typically 2 years in oak and 1 in bottle)
Gran Reserva: Minimum 2 years in oak / minimum 2 years in bottle / 5 years total aging (typically 3 years in oak and 2 in bottle)

Lopez de Heredia ages ALL of their red wines to nearly a Gran Reserva level, but the only wine they put the ‘Gran Reserva’ label on is the Viña Tondonia, and they have only done so 20 times in 140 years! This kind of quality control and desire for a recognition of the truly great vintages makes them incredibly unique in the entire wine world. The Viña Tondonia will regularly spend 5 years aging in wood before spending more time in bottle at the estate prior to release.

Last month, you received the 2014 Viña Cubillo Crianza. The 2011 Viña Bosconia is another single vineyard offering that enjoys an even longer aging in American oak (5 years). Like all of the Heredia wines, the wine is fermented in giant 140+ year-old wood barrels! As wines from Lopez de Heredia age, they take on more earthy notes and hallmark cigar box and dried flowers are present. Outstanding with smoked meat, aged cheeses, or just outside by the firepit!

Serve just above cellar temperature 58º-62ºF
Drink: will drink beautifully right now but will continue to age for at least 10 years.
Food pairings: see above

Trombetta Family Wines
2014 ‘Gap’s Crown’ Pinot Noir, Petaluma Gap AVA, Sonoma County, California

Pinot Noir (100%)

Trombetta Family Wines is a fantastic small producer run by the mother-daughter team of Rickey Trombetta and Erica Stancliff. These are wines that express the beauty of cool-climate California Pinot Noir with absolute precision and elegance. Erica Stancliff has acted as head winemaker since 2014 and is a rising star in the California wine industry. Trombetta produces wine from some of the best vineyards in the Petaluma Gap AVA which is a pristine West-East trough in the Coastal Range that draws cool air from the Pacific Ocean. The AVA was officially established in 2017 and is in the southern part of Sonoma County, just 25 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge. These cool winds help the area to have a dramatic diurnal temperature range that can swing 50º in a single day. The area is known mostly for tremendous Pinot Noir, especially at the ‘Gap’s Crown’ vineyard. This vineyard of just over 100 acres is home to some of the greatest Pinot Noirs in all of California.

Serve at 60º F
Drink now or hold for up to 10 years.
Food Pairing: delicious with salmon, duck, lamb, lean red meat, roasted carrots, mushrooms, earthy cheese

PAX
2021 Sonoma-Hillsides Syrah, Sonoma, California

Syrah (100%)

What can I say about this wine, but ‘Yay’! This has been one of my favorites since I first experienced their 100-point 2017 version. The new 2021 vintage has already garnered great praise, with 98-point reviews, and incredible press from critics and sommeliers alike. Pax Mahle makes wines that are just special. His Syrahs are new-world representation of the great Syrahs from the Northern Rhône Valley. Grapes are typically picked slightly underripe which helps to boost the acid and keep the alcohol levels lower than what might be expected from California Syrah. Entirely made with whole-cluster fermentation, and crushed using the traditional pied-de-cuvée (the foot stomp!), there is an incredible complexity to this wine. The Sonoma-Hillsides Syrah is a blend of several of Pax’s top single vineyards and produces a classic and exciting example of the grape. Rich and earthy, with notes of black olives, wild game, black pepper, leather, smoke, sweet cigar, and a gorgeous mix of blackberry, blueberry, and plum. Aromas of purple flowers round it out and the rich body is cut by the bright acid that lifts the wine as it crosses the palate. This is a delicious wine now, but will continue improving for 10-20 years.

Serve at 60ºF.
Drink: now-2040
Food pairings: pepper-crusted steak, tapenade, smoked meat, barbecue, hearty stews

February Wine Club