2013 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia

The 2013 Viña Gravonia Blanco comes from a rainy, cool and challenging vintage when the grapes didn't reach the perfect ripeness the 2012 (that I tasted next to it) displayed. It has citrus notes (orange peel, yuzu) and an herbal twist, balsamic with the unmistakably white López de Heredia aroma of mushrooms that you smell as soon as you enter their ancient cellars. It's quite pale, and the palate is sharp and austere, quite light but with the pungent flavors and a long and tasty finish. This is a relatively simple wine, especially when compared with the others. 18,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2018 after four years in American barrels.