The Keepers of the Flame: María José & Mercedes López de Heredia

Maria José López de Heredia | R. Lopez de Heredia, Rioja, Spain

To step into the cellars of R. López de Heredia in Haro is to step back in time. There is no stainless steel, no computer-controlled fermentation, and certainly no rushing. At the helm of this Rioja institution are two sisters: María José López de Heredia, the winery's eloquent public voice and steward of its philosophy, and Mercedes López de Heredia, the fourth-generation winemaker who turns that philosophy into wine.
While the rest of the wine world chases the newest technology, María José, Mercedes, and their family have spent over 140 years perfecting the "old way."

The Philosophy: Time as an Ingredient

At López de Heredia, time is the most valuable resource. Their flagship wines, like the Viña Tondonia, are aged in handmade American oak barrels for years — sometimes over a decade — before they even see a bottle. María José famously notes that they don't release a wine until it is ready to be enjoyed, regardless of what the market demands.
She views the cellar as a living ecosystem. Her role is one of stewardship, maintaining the natural molds in the cellar that regulate humidity and ensuring that the ancestral techniques of their great-grandfather remain unbroken. Mercedes, for her part, is the one executing that vision in the cellar — working with the same 72 large oak vats (some of them original to the winery's founding in the 1880s) and the same patient, interventionist-free approach that has defined López de Heredia across four generations.
Together, they represent something rare: a seamless continuity between tradition as philosophy and tradition as craft.

The Aesthetic: Natural Complexity

The wines are characterized by their savory, tertiary notes: dried tobacco, leather, orange peel, and umami. They are not "fruit bombs"; they are intellectual puzzles. They are the antithesis of what one might expect from modern, oak-heavy Rioja. In an era of instant gratification, this winery reminds us that some things simply cannot be rushed. These wines aren't just being made — they are being preserved, as a culture.

Why We're Carrying Their Wines

The sense of freedom and authenticity in these bottles is what makes López de Heredia one of the defining producers of any generation. Their wines feel genuinely, unmistakably themselves — like a dusty library full of first-edition classics. Intellectual, soulful, and deeply rooted in Spanish soil.

These wines aren't released until they are ready to drink, and they can also age much longer. I recently opened a bottle of 2002 Tondonia and it was still electric. It's a fully sensory experience, and one I suggest everyone who comes into our store has before they leave. In fact, I tell many of our regulars that when I think of Rioja, I often describe it as "Lopez."

Explore our current offering of these majestic wines here.