Lopez de Heredia is one of Spain's constants, virtually unchanged for 140 years, promoting the ultra-classic style of Rioja. These, for many years, have been one of the top buys for Old World Red Wine, achieving a level of quality that stuns at this price point. Lopez de Heredia continues to impress, and we are able to offer an older vintage of Tondonia today from 2009, which is another sensational effort from this favorite Spanish address that came out a few years back. The Tondonia is always a bar-setting bottle. It capitalizes on the rustic style that becomes a masterpiece after aging in the cellar, typically showing more finesse than the Bosconia. A blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho and 5% each Mazuelo and Graciano. 2009 shows immense power, structure, concentration, and ripeness, which coincided with much of Europe that year. This was great at release but has gotten even better with time in the bottle, and we have a limited amount available at this great price, which is about the same for the new releases of Tondonia.
James Suckling 97 points! "Sweet berries, cherries, cedar and dried flowers on the nose. Some lemon and lime zest, too! Medium-to full-bodied with tight, integrated tannins that show wonderful length and reserve. So fresh and vivid. Lots of energy. A wonderful, classic wine. Drink or hold."
John Gilman 94 points! "The 2009 vintage of Viña Tondonia Reserva is a beautiful and utterly classical young wine. The bouquet is deep, complex and vibrant, wafting from the glass in a mix of raspberries, cherries, fresh nutmeg, a beautiful, salty base of soil tones, a touch of nutskin and a very refined framing of older American oak that is already hinting at notes of toasted coconut. On the palate the wine is pure, bright and quite svelte in personality this year, with lovely focus and grip, a good core of red fruit, fine soil signature and a long, well-balanced and bouncy finish. This is fairly low alcohol by recent, global warming standards, coming in at an even thirteen percent octane. It is quite approachable already, but this is nicely knit and will be even better with a bit more bottle age. As always, lovely juice."
2009 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia
2009 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia
Lopez de Heredia is one of Spain's constants, virtually unchanged for 140 years, promoting the ultra-classic style of Rioja. These, for many years, have been one of the top buys for Old World Red Wine, achieving a level of quality that stuns at this price point. Lopez de Heredia continues to impress, and we are able to offer an older vintage of Tondonia today from 2009, which is another sensational effort from this favorite Spanish address that came out a few years back. The Tondonia is always a bar-setting bottle. It capitalizes on the rustic style that becomes a masterpiece after aging in the cellar, typically showing more finesse than the Bosconia. A blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho and 5% each Mazuelo and Graciano. 2009 shows immense power, structure, concentration, and ripeness, which coincided with much of Europe that year. This was great at release but has gotten even better with time in the bottle, and we have a limited amount available at this great price, which is about the same for the new releases of Tondonia.
James Suckling 97 points! "Sweet berries, cherries, cedar and dried flowers on the nose. Some lemon and lime zest, too! Medium-to full-bodied with tight, integrated tannins that show wonderful length and reserve. So fresh and vivid. Lots of energy. A wonderful, classic wine. Drink or hold."
John Gilman 94 points! "The 2009 vintage of Viña Tondonia Reserva is a beautiful and utterly classical young wine. The bouquet is deep, complex and vibrant, wafting from the glass in a mix of raspberries, cherries, fresh nutmeg, a beautiful, salty base of soil tones, a touch of nutskin and a very refined framing of older American oak that is already hinting at notes of toasted coconut. On the palate the wine is pure, bright and quite svelte in personality this year, with lovely focus and grip, a good core of red fruit, fine soil signature and a long, well-balanced and bouncy finish. This is fairly low alcohol by recent, global warming standards, coming in at an even thirteen percent octane. It is quite approachable already, but this is nicely knit and will be even better with a bit more bottle age. As always, lovely juice."
