JAMES SUCKLING 96 POINTS - "Savory berries, plums, iron, minerals, tobacco, ink and blood oranges. Very bright, juicy and structured, with sensational balance, aged savoriness and brightness that are typical of Tondonia reds. Beautiful now." - Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor
WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "The 2012 Viña Tondonia Reserva comes from a very dry year, with 25% less rain than the average (at the time), resulting in lower yields of very healthy grapes that delivered wines with nice balance between alcohol and polyphenols, making it very apt for the aging in barrel. It had a slightly longer élevage in barrel, six years. The wine is aromatic with a developed profile, spicy and tertiary (forest floor, a touch of brick dust and iodine), complex and nuanced. The palate is full and round, with polished tannins and a long, dry finish. It has a textbook Tondonia nose and profile. 250,000 bottles produced."
Lopez de Heredia was among the pioneering wineries in the Rioja region of the latter half of the 1800s, and they haven't changed much since. Tondonia was their first vineyard purchase, which gave them complete control of the farming. They have their own cooperage to make and maintain oak barrels, yet another level of control over the style and quality of the finished wine. The juice is still fermented by the ambient yeasts in large oak vats that are now well over 100 years of age. In line with Riojan tradition, they use American oak, mostly well-seasoned, which provides a subtle soft character to the fruit. Over the long aging (six years in barrel, followed by more years in bottle), the myriad flavor contributions in the wine have married into a harmonious whole.
Get your bottles while they're here, and enjoy them at your Fall and Winter gatherings. This is a wine for rich & flavorful dishes, especially roasts; the winery suggests leg of lamb stuffed with garlic, rosemary, and anchovies!
WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "The 2012 Viña Tondonia Reserva comes from a very dry year, with 25% less rain than the average (at the time), resulting in lower yields of very healthy grapes that delivered wines with nice balance between alcohol and polyphenols, making it very apt for the aging in barrel. It had a slightly longer élevage in barrel, six years. The wine is aromatic with a developed profile, spicy and tertiary (forest floor, a touch of brick dust and iodine), complex and nuanced. The palate is full and round, with polished tannins and a long, dry finish. It has a textbook Tondonia nose and profile. 250,000 bottles produced."
Lopez de Heredia was among the pioneering wineries in the Rioja region of the latter half of the 1800s, and they haven't changed much since. Tondonia was their first vineyard purchase, which gave them complete control of the farming. They have their own cooperage to make and maintain oak barrels, yet another level of control over the style and quality of the finished wine. The juice is still fermented by the ambient yeasts in large oak vats that are now well over 100 years of age. In line with Riojan tradition, they use American oak, mostly well-seasoned, which provides a subtle soft character to the fruit. Over the long aging (six years in barrel, followed by more years in bottle), the myriad flavor contributions in the wine have married into a harmonious whole.
Get your bottles while they're here, and enjoy them at your Fall and Winter gatherings. This is a wine for rich & flavorful dishes, especially roasts; the winery suggests leg of lamb stuffed with garlic, rosemary, and anchovies!
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