Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Reserva 2008
Classically Styled Rioja
Regular price $64.99
2008 Tondonia Reserva 95WA
La Rioja, Spain
ETA September 2024 - direct from the winery cellars
The Tondonia is the flagship of the winery and probably nowadays the most popular of all the Rioja wines made in this special region. This again is a wine I personally buy every year - you will read that a lot here - I only try to offer wines that I personally admire. These wines drink amazingly well now but have the ability to age gracefully another 20 years easy. Wines like this that are held back and matured at the winery should cost a fortune, but lucky for us, Lopez de Heredia thought to do this a long time ago, setting them up to economically be able to do so and offer us a true superior value wine.
Grapes: Tempranillo 75%, Garnacho 15%, Graciano and Mazuelo 10%
95 pts Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The nose of the 2008 Viña Tondonia Reserva is very elegant, fresh and with an herbal twist, starting to show the complexity of the aged wines that are sometimes still too young when they are released 10+ years from the vintage! The palate is medium-bodied, with lightness and depth, very classical with extra freshness and all that is needed for a long development in bottle. This is the more Tondonia of the two vintages I tasted side by side. There are notes of maple syrup, smoke, licorice and crisp fruit. The palate is more austere, crunchy and reveals the chalkiness of the soils. There's more definition and precision here.
Luis Guttierez - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
La Rioja, Spain
ETA September 2024 - direct from the winery cellars
The Tondonia is the flagship of the winery and probably nowadays the most popular of all the Rioja wines made in this special region. This again is a wine I personally buy every year - you will read that a lot here - I only try to offer wines that I personally admire. These wines drink amazingly well now but have the ability to age gracefully another 20 years easy. Wines like this that are held back and matured at the winery should cost a fortune, but lucky for us, Lopez de Heredia thought to do this a long time ago, setting them up to economically be able to do so and offer us a true superior value wine.
Grapes: Tempranillo 75%, Garnacho 15%, Graciano and Mazuelo 10%
95 pts Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The nose of the 2008 Viña Tondonia Reserva is very elegant, fresh and with an herbal twist, starting to show the complexity of the aged wines that are sometimes still too young when they are released 10+ years from the vintage! The palate is medium-bodied, with lightness and depth, very classical with extra freshness and all that is needed for a long development in bottle. This is the more Tondonia of the two vintages I tasted side by side. There are notes of maple syrup, smoke, licorice and crisp fruit. The palate is more austere, crunchy and reveals the chalkiness of the soils. There's more definition and precision here.
Luis Guttierez - Robert Parker Wine Advocate