Holly Morgan

10

Blood orange and cloves as well as cherries in the nose. A bit of vanilla as it opens up. Tastes of tangerine and clove with a sweet cherry after taste. — 16 days ago

Tegan Marriott

9.3

A baby r. Lopez de heredia tondonia that's dope as hell! Could swill this till the cows come home 🐮! Or until all this damn snow around here melts!!! — 6 months ago

James Burge

9.2

2004 tondonia - maybe the best rioja i’ve ever had — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over three days. Delicious on Day 1; sensational on Day 3. In the glass, the 2021 “Vesprée” pours a stunning blood orange color nearing a brilliant fuchsia at the core, which is transparent. Medium viscosity. On the nose, the wine is developing with fascinating notes of strawberry, kiwi, those glazed candied citrus slices you see in the European sweet shops, rose water, and wet stone. On the palate, the wine is dry with low tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose with the addition of red plums. Juicy. There’s a long mineral finish and a killer texture. Wow…this is easily the most exciting rosé that I’ve had since the Tondonia Rosado. But while the Tondonia makes you think, the Vesprée melts your heart with its sheer beauty. I think you could age this? I have another bottle…I might just do it for science. Drink now (with a decant if possible). I was great on the pop and pour but it was even better with air. Lovely.
— 2 years ago

Dave Selinger

9.3

Fantastic wine with smooth oaky undercurrents. Initial fruit forward with the woody oak middle and jammy finish. More fruit forward than vina tondonia reserve albeit younger. — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

My first experience with one of Musar’s Rosés and I’ve got to say that it reminds me a lot of their Blanc but with a kiss of red fruit…which, in a sense, is exactly how this wine is made. Popped and poured; consumed over two hours. Served just a touch below cellar temp but it warmed in the glass. The wine presents as a sort of pale copper color. On the nose, a rather fascinating array of fruit including strawberry, watermelon, bing cherry, grapefruit, and generic tropical fruit. On the palate, I’m reminded more of Rainier cherries with kiwi, lemon, lanolin and almond skin. A rather fabulous body with wonderful texture…not too unlike LdH’s Tondonia Rosado, actually. Medium- tannin and medium+ acid. The finish is long and satisfying. No doubt, this is a very nerdy rosé and one that I look forward to experiencing more often! FWIW, Delectable misidentifies this as a blend of Chardonnay, Semillon and Cinsault when in fact this is Obaideh, Merwah and Cinsault. — 5 years ago

Pontus Öberg

9.0

Fint gott Rioja men det slår ej tondonia. — 6 years ago

romo

9.2

Just when you think it’s going to Thelma & Louise, it spawns wings and lifts off. - at Franklin PT — 19 days ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.4

Touch of over the hill but still OK. Lost color. More for the geeks and aficionados - than the casual wine drinker. So this review is for you guys. — 2 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.2

The somm raves and accolades are well justified for this #rioja legend. This current release Vina Cubillo presents dried plum, Luxardo cherry, sweet tobacco, porcini mushroom aromas. Perfectly integrated on the palate, acid and fruit in harmony, long finish with elegant tannins. Cubillo drinks richer than the 2008 Viña Tondonia I had a couple of years back. Both are lovely wines but I give the hedonistic edge to this 2009. Interestingly flexible on food pairing, equally delicious with Gambas al Ajillo and fresh sliced Spanish Chorizo. — 2 years ago

Martinez

9.0

Not the best vintage, but still really good. Complex nose with notes of red fruit, rose petals and beeswax. Medium-bodied, fresh, slightly saline. Orange and tangerine notes on the palate. Great chalky texture, high acidity. Reminiscent of Tondonia Rosé — 3 years ago

R Bl

9.0

Crazy orange color. Nose mostly closed with some dried fruit and dried floral notes. Reminiscent of white Rioja (e.g. R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, Gravonia) by its waxy dried apricot notes and overall dried fruit aspect - but much more fruity and a very good food wine. Very much easier than the Tondonia; I like but others may not. Too bad. — 5 years ago

Ian Hamel

9.1

2021/1. Super savory, with layers of stone and citrus fruit. This is still one of my favorite Spanish white wines (at least among somewhat “standard” styles, i.e. excluding Tondonia and of course sherry), though my experience is rather limited — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Served double-blind. The color was a darker tone of gold, showing potential signs of age but seemed to be in good physical shape. On the nose, dried fruits such apricot and citrus fruits however, it was the striking note of coconut that ultimately led me to the Iberian peninsula. I figured a Rioja made in an oxidative style such as LdH Tondonia Blanco. On the palate, again with the dried fruits accompanied by nuts. This wine was balanced and had fine acid that provided the lift necessary. When the wine was revealed, I was couldn’t help but crack a smile; what a delight to try such a fantastic dry white from Portugal that, in many ways, was very energetic at 29 years young. — 6 years ago

Joel Lara

9.4

Upon opening, this seemed a bit disjointed, with muted fruit flavors and strong herbal notes. Decanting didn’t seem to help much, but day 2 it finally opened up nicely, with nice complexity and intensity on the palate. Cherry, raspberry, cassis, bay leaf, dried Italian herbs, anise, cloves, vanilla, cedar, earth, and balsamic notes all come through. Really tasty, but maybe a bit too intense. I can see this improving with a few more years of aging so the flavors coalesce and soften a bit more. — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Splash decanted directly before service; enjoyed over the course of a few hours out of red Solo cups. The 1981 Gran Reserva Blanco pours, a golden color with medium viscosity. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of Khalas dates, dried apricot, black lemon, almonds, toasted coconut and marshmallow. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and the texture is waxy. A cerebral wine and just lovely stuff. Well stored bottles have a long life yet left ahead. Drink now with patience and plenty of air and through 2051. — 10 months ago

Brian Hearty

9.2

2015. By the time we added this delicious Burgundy to the table while we were still enjoying the Diel Extra Brut Sekt and the R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Rosato it created a perfect spectrum of colors and flavors to match the dishes prepared by the Boiler Room chefs. A great way to usher in the New Year! — 3 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.3

For many years my friends & I subsisted on a fairly steady diet of Lopez, occasionally dipping into other producers but always coming back to Lopez. As prices have slowly risen & our tastes have evolved our diet is more varied,but this bottle reminds me of why Lopez was true North for us. The Bosconia bottlings were I think always considered the lesser to Tondonia, & priced accordingly, but here 15 yrs of age really shines: all sorts of crushed red fruits, natural vanilla stalk, and tree bark. Such length & beautiful concentration,with fine tannins folded into that vanilla cushion of all those years in barrel. Less of the tomato concentration I find in Tondonias, to its benefit. Perhaps my only caveat-but it’s more like a differential-is a moderately more simple flavor profile, with less of the lingering & tertiary flavors I remember from Tondonias. Also, so full of energy & still fresh. God, how I love this wine. Drank during a Mets loss, which makes it even more impressive given the game didn’t sour my experience of it — 4 years ago

with Owen

Big Wave Dave

8.9

Dark and brooding. Big style of rioja. Jammy fruit. Plenty of grip but any secondary notes are buried by the ripe full bodied fruit profile. Slight sourness on the end. For this money, I’d take Rioja Alta 904, CVNE, of Tondonia every day. — 6 years ago

Enrico Marconcini

9.2

Top Rosè that would show at best in years, but it leaps out of the glass now! Intense aromatics, stone fruit with a hint of pepper and some leafiness, but on the palate is med+ body and finishes zippy. I’d love a Tondonia next to it — 6 years ago