GRAPE VARIETIES
70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 10% Mazuelo
WINE TASTING
López de Heredia is nothing if not a family business. Having been handed down through four generations to its present custodians María José, her sister Mercedes, and brother Julio, its old-school philosophy and elegant, long-lived Riojas have remained steadfast through war, fashion, and new technologies.
Set up during a boom for supplying a French market whose own vineyards had been ravaged by phylloxera, María José’s great-grandfather, Rafael, took inspiration from influential Bordeaux châteaux and purchased sites around Haro based on their suitability to emulate the regions that his new Gallic clientele base admired most. Today, Tondonia remains arguably Rioja’s greatest estate.
Made from a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazeulo and Graciano, the estate’s flagship red is Viña Tondonia. Produced in a soft, elegant Médoc style, this is one of our favourite Riojas bar none. The 2012 is a dry vintage that resulted in lower yields of very healthy grapes that has delivered beautifully balanced wines for long ageing. Combines spicy and tertiary (brick dust, forest floor, and iodine) and polished tannins. A textbook Tondonia, no one should ignore this quintessential Rioja Reserva: Viña Tondonia represents the highest level requirements of the appellation!
After six and a half years of ageing in barrels, the wines are stored for another two years in the bottle before being marketed. The result is daunting. You will be amazed by its nose of vanilla, cocoa and leather. The second nose opens with fruit and rich notes of cherry brandy. The wine evolves every second in the glass for pure pleasure. The palate is opulent, tasty, finely balanced and the tannins are incredibly noble. Full of grace and vigour, it can still be kept in the cellar for a dozen years or be enjoyed now. 96 points from James Suckling, this is a Reserva legend.
FOOD PAIRING
Goes well with all meat dishes, however it is the perfect partner to milk-fed lamb rubbed with garlic, rosemary and roasted in a wood-fired oven.
