López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Crianza 'Viña Gravonia' 2015

López de Heredia is nothing if not a family business. Having been handed down through four generations to its present custodians María José, her sister Mercedes, and brother Julio, its old-school philosophy and elegant, long-lived Riojas have remained steadfast through war, fashion, and new technologies.

Set up during a boom for supplying a French market whose own vineyards had been ravaged by phylloxera, María José’s great-grandfather, Rafael, took inspiration from influential Bordeaux châteaux and purchased sites around Haro based on their suitability to emulate the regions that his new Gallic clientele base admired most. Today, Tondonia remains arguably Rioja’s greatest estate.

In recent years, consumers have woken up to the outstanding quality-to-price ratio of López de Heredia’s entire range (especially as they are released with significant bottle age), but its the white and rosado wines that increasingly stand out. 

Gravonia (whose name is a nod to Bordeaux's Graves appellation) – 100% Viura, aged in American barrels for four years and then in bottle for a further four – marries perfectly judged oxidative notes with honeysuckle, salted nuts, and orange blossom, and a supple texture. The warm, dry 2015 vintage is raring to go. 93 points, Wine Advocate