We drank this wine in December, with two different food pairings over 2 nights. Not everyone appreciates a white wine made in an oxidized style and I was beginning to change my mind about this Viña Gravonia. Here is what I experienced: On the first evening, we paired the Gravonia with pear salad and I didn't quite appreciate the oxidized style of the wine. But on the second night, when we paired the wine with tortellini pesto, the rich mouthfeel, the honeyed flavor backed with acidity, was such a delicious pairing, I had to change my mind!
Today, I went to Wine Grapes, the Jancis Robinson et al. Bible and looked up "Viura". I was surprised NOT to find an entry. When I consulted the index, I found that Viura is another name for Macabeo! In Rioja, where this Lopez de Heredia Viña Gravonia comes from, the Macabeo grape is referred to as Macabeo/Viura. Wine Grapes describes the Viura as:
Big, compact bunches of medium-sized, thick-skinned berries. Late budding and late ripening. Cool, damp sites are unsuitable. Very susceptible to botrytis bunch rot and vine bacterial necrosis, less so to downy mildew. Responds well to low yields and relatively early picking.1 Other notes that I found online include: Viña Gravonia Blanco 2006 is 100% old-vine estate Viura fermented in old oak vats and matured in old oak for four years. Fined with egg whites but left unfiltered. The dry white Rioja is entering maturity now and will drink through 2022.2
Lopez de Heredia is still family owned and the wines are made in the traditional way, not bending to modern trends.
References:
1. J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz, Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours, pg. 560-561.
2. 2006 R. López de Heredia Viña Gravonia.
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