Vina Tondonia Red Rioja Reserva Bodega Lopez Heredia – 2013

This iconic Rioja comes from a gravel-stoned single vineyard on the northern bank of the Rio Ebro in Rioja Alta. The vines average around 50 years old. The wine is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, and 5% each of Graciano and Mazuelo,  which is fermented in large old oak casks before being matured for 6 years in aged American oak barrels. It then spent a further  5 years in bottle before being released for sale. This is the classic way Rioja used to be made, and consumed when mature and ready to drink. It has 13% alcohol.

“The canonical red 2013 Viña Tondonia Reserva has a developed nose of dried roses and tar that transported me to Piemonte but soon took me back to the López de Heredia cellars in Haro with the mixture of mushrooms, truffles, damp earth and decayed leaves, hints of brick dust and spice. 2013 was a rainy year, with 753 liters of it, well above the average of 530 liters in Haro. It was also a cooler year, and the ripeness was slow, so they didn’t start picking until the seventh of October, but they had to hurry up because of the risk of botrytis. The crop was not so big, because they suffered from hail in July that affected the Viña Tondonia, coupled with strong winds that broke many branches. The breakdown in 2013 comes to 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo that fermented in old oak vats with indigenous yeasts. All the wines age in old American oak barrels in their caves, in this case for no less than six years. It comes in at 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.4 and 6.6 grams of acidity, perhaps a lighter vintage with higher acidity that translates into a lot of energy, a fine-boned palate and very fine tannins with a vibrant finish. 190,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2021. It should be released in the spring of 2025, almost 12 years after the harvest. And look at the price…” 95/100pts The Wine Advocate