Red Rioja is a brilliant bet for your next braai. The juicy black fruit, earthiness, acidity and elegant but present tannins pair so well with charred meats and vegetables. And today we’re happy to offer icon López de Heredia’s 2014 Bosconia Reserva to fire up your new year.
Expect cassis, cherry, cola, tobacco, spice and smoke on the nose followed by a layered, medium-bodied palate and super long finish. As a recent release, this wine is fresh and young for its age, yet it promises a long life ahead (up to 2044 if you believe the critics).
The Bosconia vineyard (named El Bosque for the forest at the foot of the Cantabria mountains) is a patchwork of very old vines of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan). It’s aged for 5 years in barrel and a further 5-6 years in bottle before release. Reservas and Gran Reservas are made from this site.
If you only want to buy from one more producer this year, buy López de Heredia. Their wines are mystical, ethereal and downright delicious. And the value for these preciously and perfectly aged wines is second to none.
Check out the rest of their range here.
Tasting Notes:
López de Heredia Viña Bosconia Reserva 2014
‘The 2014 Viña Bosconia is Tempranillo with Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo from the El Bosque vineyard in Haro, Rioja. Garnet in hue, it opens with cassis, cola and oak-driven aromas. The palate is youthful and smooth, with well-integrated tannins, black fruit and anisette at the finish. Still growing, it’ll develop greater complexity with more time in bottle.’ – Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous, 95/100
‘I loved the nose of the 2014 Viña Bosconia Reserva, a red that sells at an incredible price for the quality, the problem is (like all their wines) finding it… They had to accelerate the harvest to avoid botrytis caused by the abundant rain during the harvest. This is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacho and the remaining Graciano and Mazuelo, fermented in old oak vats with their yeasts and matured in neutral American oak barrels for no less than five years. It’s elegant and nuanced, developed but young for its age, with a seamless palate and very fine tannins, with energy and light. It has 13.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.3 and 6.7 grams of acidity, notable parameters of freshness. 80,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2022.’ – Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, 94+/100
