Lopez de Heredia – Tondonia Tasting

I know this sub loves Tondonia and I had the unique opportunity to attend an intimate tasting with Maria Jose Lopez de Heredia and her husband Jose Luis Ripa, so I wanted to share some (amateurish) tasting notes. Sorry for the blurry picture, but I was a lot more focused on drinking the wines! All wines were amazing, but even if they weren’t I would support Maria Jose and Jose Luis solely based on how nice and genuine both are and for continuing her family’s legacy. Here are the wines we drank:

2016 Blanco Vina Gravonia (not in the picture):
We started the night off with their entry-level, 100% Macebeo Crianza. Similar to their other whites, the color is very golden and dark. It’s a complex wine on the palate, with hints of raisins and tropical fruits. It almost has a wax-like texture. I’ve had this one a few times and I always love it, very unique and a prime example of why Spanish white wines are often quite underrated (although this one certainly isn’t).

2013 Blanco Reserva Vina Tondonia:
This was a bad year in Rioja, but Maria Jose shared that they are almost more proud of making a good wine from a poor vintage than making a great wine from a good vintage, and this bottle is a great example of this. The texture is similar to the Crianza, though the 10% Malvasia gives it an even creamier texture. Honey, citrus and apple notes. Tasted amazing paired with shrimp tartare. Highly recommend if you are able to find it. Jose Luis mentioned that they are trying to control both price and availability as much as possible, but of course they have no control over pricing on the secondary market.

2004 Blanco Gran Reserva Vina Tondonia:
Unlike 2013, 2004 was a fantastic vintage in Rioja (more on this later). Certainly the best one of the three whites, but probably not worth the outrageous price tag it commands these days over the Reserva. Needs some time to open up at is quite oxidative at first, but the concentration and acidity in this wine is incredible. Can’t believe I’m saying this about a 20yr old white wine, but it will likely improve a lot more over the next 10 years.

2001 Reserva Vina Tondonia:
Great example of why Tondonia is such a great winery with a cult following. Tasted great right out of the bottle and it seems to be at its peak at the moment. Notes of leather, dark fruits and cherries. They recently released

2010 Reserva Vina Tondonia:
This one is going to be incredible in 20 years. Still lots of acidity and freshness, with the typical oxidative style that made Tondonia so famous. Typical Rioja features like red cherry and orange peel. I bought a few bottles because the QPR is incredible and this is only going to get better.

2004 Gran Reserva Vina Tondonia:
My favorite wine of the evening. I believe RP gave this one 100pts and I can highly recommend buying a bottle if you find one. It’s still so youthful for a 21yr old wine and tastes so elegant. On the nose it almost reminded me of a Brunello, and it changed its character multiple times over the course of the evening. I tasted this towards the end of the evening and I forgot most of my notes, but this bottle is a winner.

1973 Gran Reserva Vina Tondonia:
Maria Jose asked for the wines not to be decanted, as that is how their family has been enjoying it for generations. Though this was the only wine of the evening that would’ve benefitted from it, as it took some time to open up. I’m told that 1973 was a challenging vintage, in particular for Lopez de Heredia because it was the year Maria Jose’s grandfather passed away. Yet, the wine still shows a lot of fruit and some complexity despite its age, but I personally found it the least exciting bottle of the evening, though still a very, very good wine.

1968 Gran Reserva Vina Bosconia:
Most surprising wine of the night, though I’m glad I wasn’t the one who had to get the cork out of these bad boys. I expected both 2004s to be amazing, and I had Bosconia many times, but this was something else. This showed up completely different from all the other reds we drank, almost burgundy-esque. This drank much younger than the 1973 Tondonia. The finish lasted forever and this can easily last for another 10yrs. Apparently 1964 is also incredible but we didn’t get to taste it.

Incredible evening with amazing wines and they deserve their success.

Fun Fact: the “wire” around the bottle is handmade in Haro and actually serves until today as a way to prevent counterfeits.