R. López de Heredia
Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend
La Rioja, Spain
A pretty color of ruby, with a wide brick/ reddish rim.
Full bodied and elegant.
Dry on the palate with medium acidity.
Showing red currants, plums, cherries, wood, spices, coffee, dark chocolates, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and black pepper.
Medium finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 15 year old Rioja Reserva is drinking very nicely now. Showing nice complexity at this point.
Still young and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. A very tasty aged Rioja, and a good food wine.
Robert Parker 95 points.
I Had this vintage a year ago, and it feels pretty much the same.
A blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 5% Mazuelo and 5% Graciano. Aged in used American oak barrels for 6 years.
13% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$55.
A pretty color of ruby, with a wide brick/ reddish rim.
Full bodied and elegant.
Dry on the palate with medium acidity.
Showing red currants, plums, cherries, wood, spices, coffee, dark chocolates, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and black pepper.
Medium finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 15 year old Rioja Reserva is drinking very nicely now. Showing nice complexity at this point.
Still young and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. A very tasty aged Rioja, and a good food wine.
Robert Parker 95 points.
I Had this vintage a year ago, and it feels pretty much the same.
A blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 5% Mazuelo and 5% Graciano. Aged in used American oak barrels for 6 years.
13% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$55.
Pure, bright colour. Crazy, as it always is with these wines, that this is fifteen years old. It could be three. The nose is a recognisable medley of macerated cherry, nutmeg, vanilla, with a presiding aroma of freshly juiced blood orange. The palate has flecks of blackcurrant to go with the more cherry-like flavours.
Concentrated, juicy and long on the finish, this is a great vintage for Tondonia that will far outlive the 2007 and ‘09.
Pure, bright colour. Crazy, as it always is with these wines, that this is fifteen years old. It could be three. The nose is a recognisable medley of macerated cherry, nutmeg, vanilla, with a presiding aroma of freshly juiced blood orange. The palate has flecks of blackcurrant to go with the more cherry-like flavours.
Concentrated, juicy and long on the finish, this is a great vintage for Tondonia that will far outlive the 2007 and ‘09.
Blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho, 10% Graciano and Manzuelo, deep Ruby with an elegant bouquet of berry fruits, cigar box, spice with fresh earthy tones, a traditional Rioja, still reticent. On the palate, the wine was silky smooth, elegant with layers of flavors, blackberry and cherry, tobacco, smoky cedar, dark fruit, vanilla spice, very well balanced with fine soft tannins and a clean structure ending with a nice long chalky earthy character. Delicious! Still has room to age.
Blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho, 10% Graciano and Manzuelo, deep Ruby with an elegant bouquet of berry fruits, cigar box, spice with fresh earthy tones, a traditional Rioja, still reticent. On the palate, the wine was silky smooth, elegant with layers of flavors, blackberry and cherry, tobacco, smoky cedar, dark fruit, vanilla spice, very well balanced with fine soft tannins and a clean structure ending with a nice long chalky earthy character. Delicious! Still has room to age.
Dec 16th, 2022
Juicy and fresh
I needed a magnum...at least
Juicy and fresh
I needed a magnum...at least
A little disappointing- going to give it more air next time.
A little disappointing- going to give it more air next time.
Vintage 2008 | Six years in barrel and four years in bottle before release. It’s a wine you must contain yourself not to smell only. A rich and exuberant smell with leather, stewed red summerfruit, brushwood and tones of liquorice, really beautiful and Burgundian expression. I opened the bottle yesterday and drank one glass, now it has a nice expression with all the aeration. Very balanced taste with refinement. A very nice Rioja that is a joy to drink. | Paired with tunafish and green asparges
Vintage 2008 | Six years in barrel and four years in bottle before release. It’s a wine you must contain yourself not to smell only. A rich and exuberant smell with leather, stewed red summerfruit, brushwood and tones of liquorice, really beautiful and Burgundian expression. I opened the bottle yesterday and drank one glass, now it has a nice expression with all the aeration. Very balanced taste with refinement. A very nice Rioja that is a joy to drink. | Paired with tunafish and green asparges
Apr 18th, 2021
The 2008 R. Lopez Heredia ‘Vina Tondonia Reserva’ Rioja is a marvelous effort from this challenging vintage in La Rioja. The wine is a complex blend of Tempranillo (75%), and Garnacho (15%), with Graciano and Mazuelo (5%) that was aged for six years before bottling. The wine is might be showing a bit more depth and concentration than the ’07 bottling while the ’07 is slightly more geared towards finesse. Deep white truffle and wild blackberry notes combine with shades of cinnamon, orange rind and sour kirsch on this gorgeous bouquet. The palate is wonderfully viscous and concentrated. Layers of sour red and ark fruits collide with minerals, smoky terroir and shades of blood orange zest and peat moss on this simply gorgeous palate. Rich and layered, yet having a sterling sense of tension, this magical new wine will cellar well for at least another fifteen years. Drink 2020-2038- 95
The 2008 R. Lopez Heredia ‘Vina Tondonia Reserva’ Rioja is a marvelous effort from this challenging vintage in La Rioja. The wine is a complex blend of Tempranillo (75%), and Garnacho (15%), with Graciano and Mazuelo (5%) that was aged for six years before bottling. The wine is might be showing a bit more depth and concentration than the ’07 bottling while the ’07 is slightly more geared towards finesse. Deep white truffle and wild blackberry notes combine with shades of cinnamon, orange rind and sour kirsch on this gorgeous bouquet. The palate is wonderfully viscous and concentrated. Layers of sour red and ark fruits collide with minerals, smoky terroir and shades of blood orange zest and peat moss on this simply gorgeous palate. Rich and layered, yet having a sterling sense of tension, this magical new wine will cellar well for at least another fifteen years. Drink 2020-2038- 95
Aug 28th, 2020
Drinking Rioja and reading White Fang while my wife sleeps; not sure which one of us has more jet lag. lol
Drinking Rioja and reading White Fang while my wife sleeps; not sure which one of us has more jet lag. lol
1 person found it helpfulJan 20th, 2022