2002 Lopez de Heredia "Viña Gravonia" Crianza Blanco Rioja
SKU #1086723
92
points
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Bright yellow. Complex bouquet displays dried peach and pear, honey and chamomile, with vanilla and marzipan notes in the background. Smooth and fleshy on entry, then tighter in the mid-palate, offering spice-accented pit fruit and orange zest flavors and notes of vanilla bean and smoky herbs. A jolt of bright, bitter citrus fruit adds cut and definition to the smoky, clinging finish. Intriguing and sure to be very flexible with food.
91
points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2002 Vina Gravonia Blanco has a stunning, understated nose with subtle honeysuckle and beeswax aromas that are kept in check by superb delineation and exuberant freshness. The palate is crisp and taut on the entry, with understated nougat and bitter lemon notes that are just below the surface. It is fresh and elegant on the finish that offers hazelnut, smoke and a cheeky scent of pumpkin, all lingering on the aftertaste. I am sure this will age as effortlessly as previous vintages. Drink now-2020+
(8/ 2012)
Wine Spectator
This traditional-style white shows a round, soft texture, kept in balance by a crisp backbone of acidity. Offers apple skin, vanilla, chamomile and marzipan flavors, with herbal and anise accents. Gentle and distinctive. Drink now.
(11/ 2012)
K&L Notes
THE classic, barrel aged white Rioja, Gravonia is a single vineyard viura bottling. The crianza, or ageing, of the wine, tends to be very similar each year: following harvest, the grapes are fermented in huge, antique (think early 20th c) wooden vats, and then transferred to old barrels, where they are racked a few times a year and remain for four years. After an egg white fining, the wine spends some time ageing in bottles, and it is then labelled and released to market, in this case a mere 9 years after the vintage! Truly an original wine, there are few wines that are both as immediately evocative of a region and demonstrative of a house style than Lopez de Heredia's Viņa Gravonia. Featuring a blend of yellow and orange stone fruits and subtle savory/sweet notes of old wood, as well as an intriguing interplay of bright acidity and rounded oxidative notes, this wine is very food friendly. A delicately prepared fish preparation would be appropriate, but only your own creativity can limit your pairing potential with this wine.
