Lopez de Heredia - Rioja Viņa Tondonia Reserva 2006

"The 2006 Viña Tondonia Reserva from López de Heredia is a lovely wine in the making, but this is still quite youthful at twelve years of age and has a long way to go until it is really ready for primetime drinking. The bouquet is deep, sappy and promises excellent complexity down the road, while today offering up red and black raspberries, coconut, a touch of clove, salty soil tones, gentle Rioja spice tones and a bit of cedar in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite sappy at the core, with good soil signature, ripe, moderate tannins, tangy acids and lovely focus and grip on the long and nascently complex finish. " John Gilman

Lopez de Heredia, one of the most venerable producers in Spain, produces traditional, age-worthy Rioja. Their wines are legendary and still made the way they were when the winery was founded over 130 years ago. Following a tradition that has been passed down through generations, their wines are released at least 5-10 years after harvest, which provides added complexity and elegance to their Crianzas and Gran Reservas. 

A rarity in Rioja, Lopez de Heredia uses only estate bottled fruit from their prized vineyards: Tondonia, Cubillo, Bosconia, and Zaconia; with the idea that the only way to get the best fruit is to care for the vines themselves.

The red flagship 2006 Viña Tondonia Reserva was inspired by the vineyards of the Médoc but produced with local grapes, 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho, 5% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, which achieved 13% alcohol in 2006. It always matures in used American oak barriques for some six years. The oldest of all the reds I tasted, it was also the one with more freshness, which speaks to the quality of the vineyard. (LG) 

This is a remarkably lively wine for a 12-year-old Rioja with notes of licorice and dried cherries and a very elegant tannin structure that runs through the medium to full body of this red like a silk thread. The dry finish is long and polished.

Vivid red. Highly perfumed scents of ripe red currant, cherry liqueur, pipe tobacco, leather and rose oil, along with a hint of coconut in the background. Juicy and precise on the palate, offering deep-pitched red fruit preserve, spicecake and floral pastille flavors and a hint of mocha. The silky, sweet, impressively long finish features excellent clarity and lingering spice and smoke nuances. (JR)