R.lopez De Heredia, Vina Cubillo Crianza 2017

Viña Cubillo wines come from the vineyard called Viña Cubillas, some 4 km away from the bodega, which as with all of the other vineyards, was bought by our founder. 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.

Viña Cubillas covers 24 ha, of which 16 ha are under Tempranillo, 4 ha Garnacha, 2 ha Mazuelo and 2 ha Graciano. With parcels called “La Encina” and “La Monja”, Viña Cubillas is a vineyard that produces exceptional wines sold as Crianza. These wines could be easily be marketed as Gran Reservas due to the exceptional combination of soil, aspect and vines.

Cubillo is Lopez’s answer to Rioja Crianza. Following the style of all their wines, this wine could be labeled a class above – as a Reserva – but they keep it a Crianza. It compares to most other Rioja wineries’ Reservas since the wine is aged for three years in oak, followed by another two to three years in bottle. The resulting wine is fruit-forward but with very developed, older-wine aromas of cherries and spices.