# Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza (2017)

- **Producer:** Bodegas R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo
- **Region:** Rioja, Spain
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.5%
- **Average price:** €25
- **Vegan:** No
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, orange, liquorice, vanilla, cloves, cedar, mushroom, forest floor, dried fig, prune

## About this wine

Bodegas R. López de Heredia, founded in 1877 in Haro, is one of Rioja's oldest and most historic estates. Viña Cubillo comes from the single vineyard Viña Cubillas in Rioja Alta. Renowned for its traditional techniques, the estate ages its wines far longer than required by law. The 2017 vintage saw a severe spring frost, prompting a smaller crop from secondary growth that yielded a highly delicate, tertiary-focused wine.

## Interesting facts

- López de Heredia is one of the few European wineries to maintain an active in-house coopery to build and repair their own oak barrels.
- Although categorized as a Crianza, this wine is aged in oak for three years, far surpassing legal requirements.
- The severe frost of April 2017 forced the winery to rely entirely on secondary shoots for this harvest.

## Food pairing

The lively acidity, polished tannins, and earthy, savory profile make this wine an exceptional pairing for cured Spanish pork, roasted game, and rich mushroom dishes.

## Wine making process

Hand-harvested grapes undergo fermentation in historic oak vats with native yeasts. The wine ages for 3 years in neutral American oak barrels, crafted and maintained by the winery's on-site coopery, and is racked twice per year. It is traditionally fined with fresh egg whites and bottled unfiltered.