There is double trouble in my house on New Year's Day, as my wife's birthday is January 1st. Hard to muster up the strength and motivation to party on that day, but I do my best to make it a nice and enjoyable day for her. That of course entails planning a nice but simple home-cooked meal, and of course, a great bottle of wine. 

So..I've marinated 4 pounds of cut up leg of lamb with onions, garlic, anchovies and sage for 24hrs, and dished out a fantastic roasted lamb with potatoes. 


Normally, for something like that, full of flavor, I opt for a young-ish Nebbiolo of some sort, but there was a bottle of Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva 2004 staring at me and it seemed the perfect companion. It really was!

The first thought after savoring some lamb, sticking my nose into the glass and taking a sip was: this is truly one of the greatest wines in the world that still sells for a song, considering its staggering level of quality, purity, sense of place and old-school character. You just cannot mistake this wine for anything else. It's real! 

About 15 years ago, with Jose Maria Lopez introduced me to her amazing wines, I knew right away that I was in the presence of greatness. No one knew about these wines back then, and I was one of her first retail accounts to market these gems. The rest is history, as you know I am sure how sought after (and expensive) older vintage of Lopez de Heredia are today. And yet, one can buy a 2004 Reserva TODAY, for $36 per bottle! Let me tell you, that is a JOKE! Talk to me in 10 years, when you have one of the greatest wines you could ever drink in your cellar, and either thank me, or hate me for not having pushed you to buy more of it.

I can compare it to the great Chateau Le Puy 2011 and 2012 I have sold much of recently: wines such as these are few and far between today. These are wines that are not over-oaked fruit bombs, clocking at 15% alcohol, with low acid, that fall apart in the glass within two hours and leftovers are oxidized prune juice the next day. This wine, like Chateau Le Puy, clocks at 12.5-13% alcohol. The acid level is up and bright. Balance is perfect and the soaring aromas of those older barrels scream Rioja Reserva and nothing else. Again, as with some of the greatest and unique wines in the world, if served in a brown bag, you would be able to recognize this wine. 
 

Am I trying to sell wine here? Well yes, but the way I look at it, I am actually helping you build a collection with wines that over-deliver and you can be proud to own, now and in 20+ years. This is one of the greatest wines (and bargains) you can buy. Period. 


HAPPY 2017!