R. Lopez de Heredia, Vina Bosconia Reserva 2012

95 points James Suckling
"Savory aromas of subtle earthy berries, oranges, iron and hints of walnut, tobacco and mushrooms. Fine tannins with high acidity on the palate with juicy, savory berries and a long, citrusy finish. A hint of tertiary caramel character at the end, making this very complex and complete. Drink now or in the next 10-15 years."

95 points Tim Atkin, MW
"There are Bosconia fans and Tondonia fans and there are people, like me, who adore both. Sourced from a fairly extensive, south-facing, 62-year-old vineyard, this is a partnership of Tempranillo with 10% Garnacha and 5% each of Graciano and Mazuelo. Sweet and savoury, with notes of tobacco leaf and five-spice, some clove and pepper top notes, sappy acidity and raspberry and patisserie flavours."

93+ points John Gilman, View from the Cellar
"The 2012 Viña Bosconia “Reserva” from López de Heredia is a beautiful bottle of young Rioja, which is somewhat funny to write about a wine that is already twelve years of age! In this vintage, the wine is made from a blend of eighty percent tempranillo, fifteen percent garnacha and five percent of a mix of mazuelo and graciano. The wine was given fully five years aging in two hundred-twenty-five liter barrels made from American oak prior to bottling, and then a further four years of bottle aging prior to release. The wine is beautifully refined on both the nose and palate, with the bouquet wafting from the glass in an elegant mix of raspberries, cherries, Rioja spice tones, salty soil tones, orange peel, cigar wrapper and a bit of spicy oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and vibrant, with a superb core of fruit, lovely soil signature, fine-grained tannins and impeccable balance on the long, focused and complex finish. This is a beautiful wine in the making. It is certainly drinkable today, but to my palate, it needs another five years of cellaring (at least) to further soften up its moderate tannins and gain more of that signature velvety palate texture."

93 points Decanter
"This mature vintage from one of Rioja's top producers is a gem. Mostly Tempranillo, with 15% Graciano and 5% Graciano-Mazuelo, it spent five years in American oak, which lends a fine veneer to the aromas. There's still plenty of juicy red fruit on the palate – strawberry and cherry – allied with delicious savoury notes in perfect balance. Everything you'd want from a classic aged Rioja."

Vinous Reverie Notes
This family-owned winery makes highly individual wines in a style essentially unchanged since its inception in 1877. They grow all their grapes using organic methods, ferment using only natural yeasts and do not filter their wines. They employ four full-time coopers to make their barrels. Gravonia, Tondonia, Bosconia and Cubillo are all individual vineyards which have been in the family for generations. Patience is a family watchword, as this bodega thinks nothing of waiting twenty years before releasing a wine. Their “Crianzas” are aged like others’ “Reservas” and “Gran Reservas”; the “Reservas” as long as others’ top “Gran Reservas”. And the ultimate accolade of “Gran Reserva” is accorded to only the very greatest vintages. Rarely are there more than three of these in a decade. These are uniquely traditional Riojas of massive, boundary-crossing repute. Both red and white are capable of staggering longevity. We are immensely proud to represent them. The only rub is that the estate’s uniqueness has now become universally recognized with a resultant run on stocks.