Rioja Tinto Reserva Viña Tondonia - Tempranillo (12)

Tempranillo, Garnacho, Mazuelo & Graciano | 6 jaar in gebruikte Franse eikenhouten vaten | en 6 jaar in fles | leer | tabak | vanille | bessen | kersen | chocolade | volumeus met grip | mooie frisheid | complex 

Viña Tondonia Reserva, Bodegas Lopez de Heredia

In de stad van Haro ligt Bodegas López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, de oudste in de stad en een van de eerste drie van La Rioja en het meeste consistente en klassieke huis dat nog bestaat in La Rioja. De familie die de bodega oprichtte is nog steeds aan het roer. De strategische ligging van de wijngaarden, de uitzonderlijke kwaliteit van de plantages en de gebruikte rassen, de perfect aangevuld door een bijzondere architectuur. De wijnen zijn echte iconen van de Spaanse wijnbouw.
De meest bekende wijn komt van de Tondonia wijngaard (alle wijnen worden naar de wijngaard genoemd). Hier komt zowel rood als wit vandaan. Daarnaast zijn er de Graviona (wit) en de Cubillo (rood) en de Bosconia wijngaard.
Alle wijnen rijpen zeer lang op oud eikenhout (ze hebben eigen tonneliers in dienst) voordat ze na enkele jaren fles rijping op de markt worden gebracht. Het zijn wijnen die zeer lang kunnen rijpen en niets te maken hebben met de modern op Frans eikenhout gerijpte wijnen.

Review

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. 95/100 Luis Gutiérrez

Mercedes López de Heredia told me, "We are fighting very hard to not change anything. Before, we were going against the flow, and now we are overwhelmed by demand." It was amazing to taste with Mercedes and her sister María José, who didn't stop talking the whole four hours it took us to go through the current releases. "I've been experimenting with stuff to seal the vats and the barrels, I've mixed beeswax with oil, and I've invented a kind of plasticine with the bitartrates but it's not fully waterproof. We used things that we cannot use anymore, and we have to find alternatives. Everything is a challenge nowadays." The two sisters speak with passion about their traditions and what her grandfather and father did for the family winery. The wines have not changed even if they have to adapt to new regulations that prevent them from working exactly as it was done in the past.

We talked about everything, including the "new" white varieties—they have some experimental plantings—though they are not very impressed by Tempranillo Blanco. "It's not very aromatic and so far, doesn't show the vibrancy of the old Viura, and we have so little Maturana Blanca that we cannot vinify it separately." As for the rosé, they explain, "We didn't have enough Garnacha to make it, so there won't be any rosé available until 2026 or so." I guess from the 2016 vintage...

There was talk about vintages and of course the recent harvest. "In 2023, we harvested in September, and it was extremely warm. For the first time, we didn't harvest in the afternoon because it was too hot." For María José, 2016 was the last classical vintage in Rioja Alta, perhaps only 2021. It's very much in the style of 2001. The wines from 2016 showed exceptionally well, but the show was stolen by the Gran Reserva bottlings from 2004; both wines from the Viña Tondonia deserve three-digit scores.