93pts Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2015 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza reflects the warmer conditions of the year, and with the riper fruit they picked to produce this wine, they still managed to keep around 13.5% alcohol. The Cubillo vineyard has more clay, and sometimes clay soils take heat better and make the wines fresher than those from poorer soils.
Winemaker Notes
Cubillo is the youngest López de Heredia wine in the stable, referring to the vineyard of the same name. Here, Tempranillo is grown alongside Garnacha, with a few hectares each of Mazuelo and Graciano. The average vine age is 40 years. Though it is always the most recent vintage of all their wines, it sees two years in used American oak barrels and another two in bottle prior to release, making it nearly old enough to be classified as a Gran Reserva. And while we would rather drink this bright, juicy, traditional Crianza than many Gran Reserva wines, it still retains a relatively youthful personality compared to López de Heredia’s more cerebral whites and longer-aged red Reservas and Gran Reservas, which gives it a personality all its own. As per the house style, Viña Cubillo always has particularly bright fruit and more pronounced acidity than other Crianzas.