Lopez de Heredia Rioja Vina Tondonia Reserva 2005

Rioja, Spain

Decanter 96 points! Wine Advocate 93 points! James Suckling 94 points!

Lopez de Heredia Rioja Vina Tondonia Reserva is a gorgeous Spanish red wine gem for the ages from one of the top producers in the renowned Rioja Alta wine region. In the middle of the nineteenth century when French negociants visited the Rioja region to find alternative sources of quality grapes to transform into wine, since the phylloxera epidemic had decimated their vineyards, Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic student in the art of wine making, followed closely in their footsteps. Don Rafael fell in love with the region and especially the area around Haro, the mythical capital of the Rioja Alta region. He observed that there was a magical combination of soil and climate that would offer the perfect environment for producing wine that would eventually become world famous.

“Traditional Rioja at its ageworthy best, the Tondonia red is a cuvee of Tempranillo with 20% Garnacha and 5% each of Graciano and Mazuelo. Leafy, gamey and sweet, with tangy acidity and a volatile lift.”—Decanter, 96 points!

“The 2005 Viña Tondonia Reserva is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho, 5% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo from their vineyards in the meander of the Ebro River, where they have some 100 hectares of vineyards. The wine fermented in the original oak vats that are now some 140 years of age. There is no temperature control and malolactic was also in the vat. The wine was transferred to oak barrels where it slowly matured in their deep, humid caves for no less than six years. After this, it was bottled unfiltered after being fined with egg whites. I think the quality gap between the Reserva and Gran Reserva has been getting smaller since the 2001 vintage and this 2005 is nothing short of exceptional. It's clean and complex, with more freshness. The wine is very spicy and with a palate that feels very balanced, livelier than in the past. It has a long finish where the flavors are clean. Easy to drink and very pleasurable.”—Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate, 93 points!

Enjoy Lopez de Heredia Rioja Vina Tondonia Reserva with roast pork, lamb, grilled steak, paella, and aged cheeses.