The Wine Society's Generation Series Rioja Blanco Reserva 2018 is no longer available

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The Wine Society's Generation Series Rioja Blanco Reserva 2018

4.047619000 star rating 21 Reviews
In Rioja the era between 1924 and 1974 is notable for the quality of its aged white wines and The Society`s 150th Anniversary Reserva Blanco is a nod to this historic style, one that has become somewhat eroded in recent times. The wine is aged for 18 months in oak barrels and a further three years in bottle, resulting in a complex white with hints of floral notes and buttery, nutty flavours, soft texture and precise finish. For a video message from the winemaker, and for more on the story of this wine, please scroll down.
is no longer available
Code: SP19951

Wine characteristics

  • White Wine
  • 2 - Dry
  • Viura
  • 75cl
  • Now to 2029
  • 12.5% Alcohol
  • bouquet/flavour marked by oak
  • Cork, diam
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan

Generation Series Rioja Blanco Reserva, 2018

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You can view this video on our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/watch?F3m8aNCF3Ps.

More on the wine

This celebratory white Rioja blends entirely local grapes – mostly viura, with small percentages of malvasía, tempranillo blanco, garnacha blanca and turruntés – from high-quality vineyard plots in Sonsierra and Alto Najerilla. The winemaking is in the classic Rioja style.

Bodega Hacienda Lopez de Haro is an imposing winery atop a hill in the village of Sonsierra in the sub region of Rioja Alta amid the foothills of the Toloña Mountains, a part of the great Sierra de Cantabria range that does so much to protect the Rioja region from the less desirable Atlantic influences from the north.

At their positively shiny modern facility, built in 2006, all the grapes harvested from their surrounding 70 hectares of vineyards are gravity fed into vats and presses without the need to use intrusive pumps. Even the winery’s situation atop a hill is all part of the plan as it allows for air circulation to play a natural role in the temperature control of the complex and the cellars that are built into the hill below, again for the ease of temperature control that this naturally affords. And though the winery is modern, winemaking is in the classic Rioja style.

Bodega Classica

Bodega Classica is an imposing winery atop a hill in the village of Sonsierra in the sub region of Rioja Alta amid the foothills of the Toloña Mountains, a part of the great Sierra de Cantabria range that does so much to protect the Rioja region from the less desirable Atlantic influences from the north.

At this positively shiny modern facility, built in 2006, all the grapes harvested from their surrounding 70 hectares of vineyards are gravity fed into vats and presses without the need to use intrusive pumps. Even the winery’s situation atop a hill is all part of the plan as it allows for air circulation to play a natural role in the temperature control of the complex and the cellars that are built into the hill below, again for the ease of temperature control that this naturally affords. It is attention to detail in such matters that amply illustrates the desire of Bodega Classica to produce high-quality wines.

Ricardo Arambarri manages the estate under the umbrella of a larger group called Vintae, established by his father, Riojan businessman and wine-lover José Miguel Arambarri Terrero, which operates winemaking projects in six other Spanish regions. They chose the area of Sonsierra for this particular project because they believe that the poor but well drained limestone-clay soils at 500-600 metres altitude up in the foothills provide a perfect terroir for old vine tempranillo, grown on bush-vines and hand-harvested at low yields.

The winemaking is in the classic Rioja...
Bodega Classica is an imposing winery atop a hill in the village of Sonsierra in the sub region of Rioja Alta amid the foothills of the Toloña Mountains, a part of the great Sierra de Cantabria range that does so much to protect the Rioja region from the less desirable Atlantic influences from the north.

At this positively shiny modern facility, built in 2006, all the grapes harvested from their surrounding 70 hectares of vineyards are gravity fed into vats and presses without the need to use intrusive pumps. Even the winery’s situation atop a hill is all part of the plan as it allows for air circulation to play a natural role in the temperature control of the complex and the cellars that are built into the hill below, again for the ease of temperature control that this naturally affords. It is attention to detail in such matters that amply illustrates the desire of Bodega Classica to produce high-quality wines.

Ricardo Arambarri manages the estate under the umbrella of a larger group called Vintae, established by his father, Riojan businessman and wine-lover José Miguel Arambarri Terrero, which operates winemaking projects in six other Spanish regions. They chose the area of Sonsierra for this particular project because they believe that the poor but well drained limestone-clay soils at 500-600 metres altitude up in the foothills provide a perfect terroir for old vine tempranillo, grown on bush-vines and hand-harvested at low yields.

The winemaking is in the classic Rioja style culminating in time in French and American oak with the length of its stay dependant on the status of the wine, eg reserva or gran reserva. The reserva, in which the tempranillo is ably supported by graciano, sees 20 months in barrels before a further two in bottle before release. Bodega Classica release their wines under a variety of labels including Lopez de Haro and Dominum.
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Decanter

Rightful tribute, part of the second release of The Wine Society's celebratory Generation Series, to the historical - and not enough appreciated - quality of aged white Rioja. López de Haro, regular...
Rightful tribute, part of the second release of The Wine Society's celebratory Generation Series, to the historical - and not enough appreciated - quality of aged white Rioja. López de Haro, regular collaborators of the Society, have produced this characterful iteration, showing equal amounts of richness and precision, with fruit (mostly Viura with small percentages of Malvasía, Tempranillo Blanco, Garnacha Blanca and Turruntés) from plots in Sonsierra and Alto Najerilla. Poised and nuanced, the ripe yellow apple, pear, frangipane and lemon curd flavours are carried seamlessly, rest on the mid-palate and persist in the long, spicy finish. Such great value.
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Ines Salpico

Eat This, Drink That, Live Well

Really lovely opulent mature oaked white rioja to drink with rich fish like hake or turbot. An amazing bargain for a slightly unfashionable style

Fiona Beckett

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