Lopez de Heredia, the venerable old Rioja produer, is, to most people, the foremost example of traditional Rioja. And, they're one of my absolute favorite producers.
Founded in 1877, and still in the hands of the same family, this is as special as traditional Rioja gets.
The Viña Bosconia 2003 isn't the current vintage anymore, as the 2004 has been released, but it isn't too far off current vintage. That's how long LdH ages their wines.
This has aged about 5 years in old oak barrels and another 4 years in bottle before release. That's about 9 years in the deep, dark, damp cellars of LdH. And keep in mind that this is only the reserva! The current releases of their gran reservas (Tondonia and Bosconia) are still in the mid 1990s!
There's some disagreement about the difference between LdH's Bosconia and Tondonia. To me, the difference is that Bosconia is more fruit-forward, rounder and more Burgundian in a sense.
Hence the Burgundy bottle that holds it. The wine is 80% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha and 5% Graciano and Mazuelo. Rich and fruity with cranberry, cherry and spicy notes.
There are plenty of secondary notes of tobacco, cedar, and fennel. Still plenty of the hallmark LdH acidity and "rancio" flavors that make it what it is.
More forward and precocious than its sibbling Tondonia, this is drinking beautifully now (if you want some more of the fruit notes) but can hold for many more years (if you want some more of the secondaries). I love this with any type of pork dish.
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