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Viña Tondonia Reserva 2011

Viña Tondonia Reserva

2011
The great classic among classics
94
PARKER
95
SUCKLING

Other bottle sizes and vintages

£56.00

/ 0.75 L btl
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Spec sheet

TypeRed wine
Region
Grapes
Producer
AllergensContains sulfites
Alcohol contenti13.0%
Production180,000 - 200,000 bottles

The wine

Viña Tondonia Reserva is the quintessential classic Rioja, a wine that’s suitable for all palates, highly regarded by many and totally revered by a good few more. There’s always something mystical about opening one of these bottles. It’s like going slowly back, with a good friend, on a journey into the past, though enjoying it in the present; you get a similar feeling on entering into this estate’s labyrinth of cellars, impressive underground structures, imbued with a magical ambience, the perfect resting place for this wine, not only individual and authentic but also distinguished and so widely appreciated. Do you want to know what Rioja tastes like? Start with a glass of Tondonia Reserva.

What does this wine taste like?

This wine spends 72 months in barrel, yet don’t expect it to result in an oaky wine, as it’s polished, refined, on both the nose and the palate. A wine that’s very easy to drink, thanks to its delicate mouthfeel and low alcohol content. Its colour displays evidence of its evolution, with a brick-red rim when first released, although its ruby-red colour remains constant over time. On the nose it offers the typical aromas of a classic Rioja, toasted and cocoa, but there’s also ripe fruit, yet without highlighting any particular variety used in its production. On the palate it’s a wine which is clearly dry and juicy, with refined tannins, extremely inviting and with an extraordinary freshness, foretelling a long life ahead. The secret is the old oak barrels, a very good selection of grapes, patience and wisdom. It knows how to please.

Light
Bold
Smooth
Tannic
Dry
Sweet
Soft
Acidic
View
Ruby red / Brick-red rim
Bouquet
Fine / Cocoa / Polished fine furniture / Sweet spices
Mouth
Dry / Fine tannins / Delicate / Fresh / Persistent

Drinking and storing

Tondonia Reserva bottles leave the cellar after having rested in excellent conditions for more than ten years. These wines are ready for drinking now. However, they also have a long life ahead. To ensure you experience them at their best, please consider the following:

  • the wine has not been filtered, therefore it’s advisable to keep the bottle upright for 1-2 hours before opening 
  • undo the gold wire mesh which covers the bottle but don’t remove it completely, it’s all part and parcel of this wine’s charm; loosen it from the top, letting it come down to the bottle’s shoulders and tie to the lower part
  • open up and allow aeration of the wine in the bottle for 1 hour (or decant it, when in its early years)
  • use a wide, Bordeaux type of glass
  • always have a few bottles to hand, as it’s one of those wines that everyone enjoys, and when kept properly it will remain in perfect condition for 10 years or more.
Serve between 18ºC and 20ºC

Food pairing

This is a delicate wine, easy to drink and ready to accompany practically any sort of food. Leaving aside game and strongly flavoured dishes, it proves a delicious accompaniment to a variety of meats, fish and salads.

embutidos-y-jamon
Sausages and ham
cocidos-y-potajes
Stews and casseroles
arroces
Rice
aves-y-carnes-blancas
Poultry and white meats
carnes-rojas
Red meat
pescados
Fish

Roast lamb / Roast suckling pig / Grilled fish / Foie gras

Ratings and awards

201295 PK
201194 PK95 SK
201096 PK97 SK93 WS
200993 PK93 PN97 SK
200895 PK95 SK96 DC
200796 PK95 SK
PK: ParkerPN: PeñínSK: SucklingWS: Wine spectatorDC: Decanter

Wine critics reviewsReviews by Parker and Jancis Robinson

The 2010 Viña Tondonia Reserva has all I expect from a Reserva from Tondonia, complexity, elegance and evolution, a developed nose with notes of forest floor and wild berries, herbs and flowers, a touch of iodine, brick dust and very fine, polished tannins. It has the seriousness and elegance of Tondonia. This is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho (they use the masculine form of the name of the grape) and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo that fermented in the ancient oak vats from when the winery was created 144 years ago and matured in well-seasoned, American oak barrels for six years. It has 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.4 and 6.6 grams of acidity. 260,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2017.

— Luis Gutiérrez (14/07/2022)Robert Parker Wine Advocate Vintage 2010 - 96 PARKER

Lovely, glowing, mature deep ruby. Orange rim. Heady and complex – the most complex wine in The Bunch tasting by a mile! So fresh and layered and appetising. Seems silly to even other to write this but it could only be Rioja! So pure!!!! Dry finish but there is enough fruit here.

— Jancis Robinson (20/09/2018)JancisRobinson.com Vintage 2005 - 18 JANCIS ROBINSON

Customer reviews

4.5/5
191 reviews
Vintage:

Winemaking

Vinification materialWood
Ageing period72 months
Barrel ageUsed
Type of woodAmerican oak
Clarification and filtrationUnfiltered / Clarified with fresh egg whites

Vineyards

Viña Tondonia

Viña Tondonia was this estate’s first brand name, but we shouldn’t forget it’s essentially López de Heredia’s main vineyard: a beautiful vine-growing area that ranges over more than 100 hectares, located on the River Ebro’s right bank, affording a landscape of alluvium, limestone and black poplar trees, which the winery’s founder, Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, planted in the years 1913-1914, in his desire to ensure quality at source, this vineyard, where work is carried out manually.

Vine age100 years
SoilCalcareous-clay / Gravel surface
ClimateAtlantic
YieldsLow yields

The winery

Bodegas R. López de Heredia

Bodegas R. López de Heredia

R. López de Heredia (Viña Tondonia) is one of the names which inspires most respect and admiration with regard to wineries producing "fine wine". It is, moreover, the oldest winery in the emblematic town of Haro and one of the first three set up in La Rioja.

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