R. Lopez de Heredia, Tondonia Tinto Reserva, Rioja

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish/brick rim. Beautiful nose with red and black fruits, oak, chocolates, vanilla, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs, peppercorn, licorice and black tea. Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity. Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, spices, oak, chocolates, tobacco leaf, bitter herbs, peppercorn, earth, black tea, licorice and vegetables. Tangy finish with round tannins and pomegranates. This 13 year old Rioja Reserva is still too young. A little …

2013 vintage

En herlig Tondonia. Vinen trengte noen timer på karaffelen før den åpnet seg og den leverer det som forventes. Den har også et potensiale til utvikle seg i kjelleren i mange år

2013 vintage

Nice dried cherries, berries, and chocolate. Light tannins. Recommend a one hour decant.

2013 vintage

It's fine. I've definitely had far better bottles of LdH than this; this is a relatively foursquare and undistinguished Rioja. Very youthful still with some primary fruit (impressive on that front!) with a modest touch of American oak. Not particularly noteworthy on the palate either. Ticks the boxes and not much else.

2006 vintage

Best Rioja till now. Oaky, cherries, smooth tannins. Very long.

2013 vintage

Fremstår litt lukket i starten, men åpnet seg veldig fint etter et par timer i karaffelen. Utviklet med moden/tørket frukt og lær. Balanser fatpreg og god lengde. Ble med suksess paret med helstekt rådyrlår på en seng av stekte rotgrønnsaker, aromasopp og potetpuré.

2013 vintage

from 375ml… really like this. the nose is a knockout. wonderfully complex and fragrant, with dark fruit, zesty citrus, florals and damp earth. palate is lively, lithe, slightly tart, a touch salty, finishes long and on an attractive mineral note. very impressive showing tonight and bodes really well for the 750ml format. highly recommended.

2013 vintage

30 mins decant. MILF alert! Tertiary wood but wowza the fragrant lively fruits! Bramble, leather,vanilla, cherry. Very good! March 24 2026 at Jeju with parents and great uncle.

2013 vintage

89-90pts. As pointed out, old school Rioja. Rustic, with a lot of metallic /iron notes in the beginning. Some fruit opened up on the palate with some air time. Nothing really standout, but a decent Rioja.

2013 vintage

This is marked by savory restraint and acidic vibrancy. The nose opens with subdued dark fruit, along with tar and mineral notes. The palate is bright and nuanced. Savory citrus and plum over tobacco, tar, and leather. Resolved tannins, long finish. Superior old-school Rioja.

2013 vintage

Opened at Happy Wine in Little Havana in Miami. Given a quick decant. 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo. Aged in American oak. Dried flower aromas, A lot less rustic than previous vintages I've tried (2001, 2009 and 2011). Round texture with red berry, cocoa and fresh herbs. Softer oak profile with some vanilla on the finish. 93 points

2013 vintage

Deep in colour, slight bricking. Nose is dried fruit: dates, cranberries, cherries. A sweetness to the raisin. After all that time in oak its so soft and by no means overpowering on the oak. of course Vanilla, clove, cedar, but also the raspberries and plums on the finish. Chocolatey, herbal and delicious

2013 vintage

Decanted for a couple hours. Cherries/dried cherries, earthy umami flavors, balsamic, cedar. Elevated acidity with a fairly long finish. The second half of the bottle was consumed the next day and the wine was more balanced and the balsamic note dissipated. LdH rarely disappoints and this is another interesting/thought provoking vintage of Tondonia. If I had to rank the last few vintages, I would take this over the 2012, which for me is a bit riper and fruit focused by …

2013 vintage

My third time trying this wine, after a 2006 and 2007. I enjoyed all 3 but didn't truly love any of them, and I think this was my least fave. Especially after trying a 2011 Bosconia, which was gorgeous, I've come to realize that the style of the red Tondonia just isn't my favorite style of wine. It's undeniably engaging, unique, special, especially with regards to the combination of long winery aging and still-fair QPR after that, but the profile …

2012 vintage

* Opened and decanted two hours before serving. I don't often get the chance to drink Tondonia at what I consider its proper maturity window, which for me is usually at least 20 years and beyond. While the wines are typically released already 10 to 12 years old and are certainly enjoyable at that stage, it was nice to taste the 2006 with a bit more development and readiness than some of the more recent vintages I've had. Classic Rioja …

2006 vintage

잔에 따르고 코를 가져다 대면 가장 먼저 오크 향이 주도적으로 치고 올라온다. 직관적이고 달착지근한 바닐라 향이라기보다는, 6년이라는 긴 세월 오크통에서 숙성된 전통 리오하 와인 특유의 은은하고 기품 있는 담뱃잎(시가) 향에 가깝다. 이어서 과실 향이 피어오르는데, 갓 따낸 쨍하고 싱싱한 붉은 과실이라기보다는 건조한 기후에서 응축된 2012년 빈티지의 특징을 보여주듯 말린 체리나 딸기를 연상케 하는 묵직함이 있다. 막판에 스치는 젖은 흙내음, 즉 비 오는 날 숲길을 걷는 듯한 얼시(Earthy)한 뉘앙스는 불쾌한 꿉꿉함이 아니라 아련한 향수를 불러일으키는 매력적인 복합미로 다가온다. 입안에서의 첫인상은 제법 …

2012 vintage

PnP: Nose - dried cherry, musty, old wood furniture, perfume. Taste - acidic and tannic in perfect structure and harmony, medium weight, preserved sour plums, leather, tobacco, iodine. 4h decant: Weightier than my favourite recent vintage, 2010. Possibly fruitier but the bones are there for more favourable development to come in the following years.

2013 vintage

I like this wine. There's a lot of complexity in the aromas--a range of fruit from red cherry to Black plum and plenty of well integrated oak spice. There is high acid and velvety tannins, I agree that it's a little dusty. This is traffic, but it will not improve with age. I intend to drink my second bottle over the coming year.

2012 vintage

Aucun int�r�t, vin plat sans �me

2012 vintage

담배, 젖은 낙엽, 가죽, 숲, 졸인 딸기, 장미 등의 복합적인 뉘앙스와 뒤에서 든든하게 받혀주는 산미가 일품 12보다 13이 더 좋다

2013 vintage

It felt older than it should be at this stage, but still very enjoyable.

2009 vintage

This was fantastic. Performed far better than the 2010s I’ve tried, which have tended to be thin, sour and aggressively acidic. This 06 gave me a lot more hope for the few 10s I have tucked away, though I feel like I’ll be waiting those out for quite some time. From 1.5. Decanted for sediment (none) then back back into the bottle for an hour, consumed with friends over the following 4 hours. Silky soft, beautifully mature and balanced. Lots …

2006 vintage

This 20 yr old Rioja Reserva is drinking very nicely. 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 5% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo. oak, leather, dried tart cherry, earthy, tobacco

2006 vintage

It would be a disservice to say that this was a lesser vintage, but it sort of succeeds differently than the best vintages, like '04 & '10. This leans hard into the crisper red fruit, maybe some blood orange, with all sorts of tart cherry and cranberry. You get tons of spice notes, dried floral notes on the nose, light tertiary notes, but this can't deny its overall bright crunchy profile. This doesn't have the darker fruit or bass notes, …

2007 vintage

In der Nase Sauerkirsche, sehr fleischig. Etwas Schlehe, etwas Fleischtomate. Sehr feine Holzwürze mit viel Tabak, dazu Pfeffer, Nelke, Piment. Etwas Bleistift, ganz dezent mediterrane Kräuter. Am Gaumen sehr hohe Säure, sehr saftig. Fester Tanningriff, wirkt regelrecht archaisch. Trotzdem mit gewisser Feinheit und Eleganz, faszinierend vielschichtig und mit Charakter. Auch hier recht fleischig. Lang, mit viel Zug. Der braucht dringendst Protein. Klasse.

2007 vintage

From 1/2 btl (as no other alternatives were available). Unnecessarily acidic and almost unpleasant wine. Was good with, especially, the Xmas spiced sausage. I found this wine quite underwhelming.

2013 vintage

First 1/2 btl of two. Severely corked. In this modern day and age? Come on!

2013 vintage

A really great value. Easy drinking, Not at all overloaded, but quite complex. A wine you can easily drink a bottle by yourself. This was a positiv surprise.

2010 vintage

3rd bottle from a half case. Improved greatly since my last note some 3 years ago. Complex nose includes oak, leather and balsamic figs. Body has filled out as expected with bitter cherry at the front of the palate. Finish also longer than before. A very good Tondonia now at its peak with plenty of life ahead. Delicious.

2010 vintage

19 or so months after the prior: Although still appropriately restrained, this was more open, generous, and expressive than we remember. Marvelous suggestions of aged mushrooms and fennel. Excellent over the course of 10 nights under Coravin Pivot.

2001 vintage

The last bottle of this I had was just over a year ago and was clearly too young and needed hours of air to come around. So I opened this one about 12hrs before I planned on drinking it and let it slow ox. On open it had a beautifully fragrant nose of soil, cherries and forest floor with some vanilla. The palate was a little tight but had none of the sour oak I got in the first bottle. …

2010 vintage

It’s not not delicious, but I’m surprised at how acidic it is even now on day 2… generally lacking the delicately balanced multidimensional headiness I turn to traditional Rioja for, but not wholly wrong either. The Tondonia has always one of my favorite wines, but this bottle’s has been my experience with the couple of 2010s I’ve taken from the cellar the last few years. I don’t know whether there’s something off with my case, or the year (I don’t …

2010 vintage

Dark berries. This is the umpteenth bottle of this wine I am drinking and every time I am struck of the fantastic balance between sweet and acid, bold and smooth. Unfortunately, this was my last bottle �

2012 vintage

Dry aged prime rib dinner. This was singing. Classic Tondonia, cool vintage character well captured by this bottle. Dried cherries, tobacco, leather, balsamic, savory notes, umami.

2006 vintage

Didn’t take detailed notes. Soaring acidity with some smoothly integrated VA, dark red fruit and savory herb, the oxidative style shows only a little at this point, it’s not closed or anything but still young in that sense. Better closer to room temp than at 55 degrees from my cooler. Ready to drink but decades to go with upside. I’m not nearly as into Rioja as I once was but I’m glad to have a case of this obviously very …

2010 vintage

Not quite as spectacular as the glass I had last year from magnum, but still a wine for the ages. Dark and brooding, more maroon than crimson. Initially a little closed but a good decant really brought out the aromatics. Mostly leather, plums, dates, figs, cloves, mace and black cardamom. Less evolved than last year's - perhaps it's been kept somewhere cooler and darker? Beautifully integrated at first, but the finish has a touch of sourness which makes the wine …

2001 vintage

Deep brick-red color. On the nose: dried red berries, plum, tobacco, leather, forest floor, and vanilla/spice from oak. On the palate, lean, complex, and firm with fresh acidity and dry, ripe tannins. A long, dry finish with tertiary and oaky notes.

2012 vintage

역시 맛있다 적당한 바디감과 과실 산미 가죽 흙 뉘앙스들이 잘 어울어진다

2012 vintage

Sadly corked. From what I gathered behind the cork taint, this was a very tightly wound bottle with oodles of acid. Fingers crossed my last bottle is in good shape.

2004 vintage

Perfect age. Compared it to the ‘10 and an extremely old Grand Reserva from ‘47. You could see the arc and oxidative notes come out more clearly. The development in the glass as well as the decanter was fascinating and it improved over hours.

2001 vintage

Started with a flowery nose, tertiary and oxidative notes, as expected and opened up beautifully in the decanter over hours!

2010 vintage

red fruit, vanilla, leather, and spice, with firm tannins and bright acidity, showcasing classic old-school Rioja character

2010 vintage

Very elegant wine, already perfect to drink, but assume it will be still great in 10+ years, for me definitely 95 points.

2012 vintage

Decanted one hour. Medium garnet with medium intensity, developed aromas of cherry, burnt raspberry, red, current, cedar, leather, tobacco, forest floor, and Asian spice. This wine has medium body, medium alcohol, medium, smooth, tannins, and medium acidity. The flavors match the aromas with the exception of fruit cake. This one has a medium plus finish. This is an elegant, balanced, and complex wine. The fruit takes a backseat to the secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors, but overall the balance …

2012 vintage

This likely was not aged properly and tasted like a late 80�s vintage. However that wasn�t a bad thing! All the tertiary notes with some red fruits coming through. Would drink again.

2012 vintage

0.375. 92/93. 13%. Decently aromatic with aromas of leathery clovey hints, mint raspberries, blueberries, strawberries Very tasty and spherical silky lightly clovey medium bodied palate with blue and red fruits with lovely length. As always a class act. Constantly evolving in the bottle. Lay down 5 years+.

2012 vintage

similar tasting note... firm, structure, tight, not plush... good wine for sure but wonder if i'm drinking the same wine as others.

2012 vintage

Very good although needs more time. Also has a fair bit of VA.

2009 vintage

OG's Lunch (BLVD Kitchen & Bar, Wayzata, MN) : DArk red color. PNP, followed a glass over 90 minutes. I don't know, I just wasn't feeling this today. For me it was a bit medicinal and more brooding. Vitamins, iodine, dark cherry, lacquer, dense, mineraly, and quite firmly tanninc. It opened somewhat more over the hour plus, but it never hit a stride for me. Score reserved.

2004 vintage

A beautifully complete Rioja that delivers everything a great red wine should: tension, freshness, well-judged oak and finely balanced fruit. Not exciting in the sense of surprise or unconventional aromas, but deeply satisfying in its harmony and roundness. Less compelling than the outstanding 2010 vintage, yet an excellent, versatile red with outstanding value for money and immense drinkability.

2012 vintage

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R. Lopez de Heredia, Tondonia Tinto Reserva, Rioja

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