93 points Tim Atkin, MW: "(13%) 'We don’t want people to notice the vintage variation,' says Maria-José López de Heredia, but notice it they will in the switch from cool 2008 to much more Mediterranean 2009. This savoury, spicy blend of Tempranillo with 20% Garnacha and 5% each of Mazuelo and Graciano has plenty of weight, with an undertone of balsamic complexity. 2018-25. (Feb 2018)"
93 points James Suckling: "Considering that this is the producer’s simplest red, it has an astonishing stature and sophistication. Nuances of tobacco and soy sauce as well as ripe plums and a great balance of fruit and precisely crafted dry tannins and a firm, but polished finish. Drink or hold. (8/2/18)"
92 points Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate): "[$30 list] The red they say was born to go with tapas and sold in local restaurants is the 2009 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza. 2009 was a warm and ripe year, and this blend of Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha (or the masculine Garnacho they like to use) plus 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo from limestone soils with quite a lot of clay, feels juicy and soft. It fermented with natural yeasts in large oak vats and matured in used barriques for three years. This is a bottling that has grown and improved a lot since 2004-2005. It shows very good balance between fruit and more developed aromas, with hints of leather and cherries, spices and smoke, very clean and with good volume in the palate. It's usually a little riper and with higher alcohol than Tondonia or Bosconia, with the character, finesse and elegance of a classical Reserva. It was bottled in April 2013. Drink: 2018-2023. (Feb 2018)"
92 points and 'Year's Best Rioja Wines,' Wine & Spirits: "[$29 list] Mercedes López de Heredia blends this wine from 40-year-old vines near the winery in Haro, this vintage 65 percent tempranillo, 25 percent garnacha, the balance mazuelo and graciano. While the color looks mature for the wine’s age, this 2009 has the resistance to oxygen that makes the family’s Riojas so compelling. The texture is silky and soft, carrying notes of red plum skin and peach pit, tobacco and cedar, building generosity as it takes on air. Open it at a pig roast. (Dec 2018)"
91 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2009 Rioja 'Viña Cubillo' Crianza from López de Heredia is really a pretty wine that is just starting to drink with generosity at age nine, but has the balance to age gracefully for at least another twenty years. This is a bottling from López de Heredia that I do not drink often and I really should, as it offers up excellent value. The 2009 Viña Cubillo delivers a fine and utterly classic bouquet of cherries, red plums, fresh nutmeg, incipient notes of Rioja nuttiness, a fine base of soil, gentle notes of clove and a fine base of toasty coconut American oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and beautifully balanced, with a bit of backend tannin, fine complexity and grip and a long, classy and vibrant finish. This is really good Rioja that will be drinking even better with a few more years in the cellar. 2018-2040. (May/Jun 2018)"
93 points James Suckling: "Considering that this is the producer’s simplest red, it has an astonishing stature and sophistication. Nuances of tobacco and soy sauce as well as ripe plums and a great balance of fruit and precisely crafted dry tannins and a firm, but polished finish. Drink or hold. (8/2/18)"
92 points Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate): "[$30 list] The red they say was born to go with tapas and sold in local restaurants is the 2009 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza. 2009 was a warm and ripe year, and this blend of Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha (or the masculine Garnacho they like to use) plus 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo from limestone soils with quite a lot of clay, feels juicy and soft. It fermented with natural yeasts in large oak vats and matured in used barriques for three years. This is a bottling that has grown and improved a lot since 2004-2005. It shows very good balance between fruit and more developed aromas, with hints of leather and cherries, spices and smoke, very clean and with good volume in the palate. It's usually a little riper and with higher alcohol than Tondonia or Bosconia, with the character, finesse and elegance of a classical Reserva. It was bottled in April 2013. Drink: 2018-2023. (Feb 2018)"
92 points and 'Year's Best Rioja Wines,' Wine & Spirits: "[$29 list] Mercedes López de Heredia blends this wine from 40-year-old vines near the winery in Haro, this vintage 65 percent tempranillo, 25 percent garnacha, the balance mazuelo and graciano. While the color looks mature for the wine’s age, this 2009 has the resistance to oxygen that makes the family’s Riojas so compelling. The texture is silky and soft, carrying notes of red plum skin and peach pit, tobacco and cedar, building generosity as it takes on air. Open it at a pig roast. (Dec 2018)"
91 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2009 Rioja 'Viña Cubillo' Crianza from López de Heredia is really a pretty wine that is just starting to drink with generosity at age nine, but has the balance to age gracefully for at least another twenty years. This is a bottling from López de Heredia that I do not drink often and I really should, as it offers up excellent value. The 2009 Viña Cubillo delivers a fine and utterly classic bouquet of cherries, red plums, fresh nutmeg, incipient notes of Rioja nuttiness, a fine base of soil, gentle notes of clove and a fine base of toasty coconut American oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and beautifully balanced, with a bit of backend tannin, fine complexity and grip and a long, classy and vibrant finish. This is really good Rioja that will be drinking even better with a few more years in the cellar. 2018-2040. (May/Jun 2018)"
| Product SKU | 701944 |
| Producer | López de Heredia |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Rioja |
| Varietal | Tempranillo/Tinto Fino |
| Vintage | 2009 |
| Size | 750ml |
| Color | Red |
| Blend | 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 5% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo |
| ABV | 13.5% |
| Ships To |
