11x Mature Rioja (1928-1999)

Tasted Monday, November 29, 2021 by Cailles with 241 views

Flight 1 (2 Notes)

  • 1981 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 91 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Two Lopez de Heredia whites side by side. I like to drink these white Rioja from time to time for intellectual pleasure as they are quite unique but I'm not the biggest fan of the style (and wouldn't buy these for my cellar). They are quite particular and often with oxidation notes. In this tasting, youth trumped maturity and Reserva trumped Gran Reserva. Winner was the Vina Tondonia Reserva 1999 (rated 94 pts) which showed beautifully complex and well defined without fault and with seductive nutty/bakery aroma profile. The Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva 1981 showed more mature, less complex and precise and had a rather strange nose.

    TN: Fragrant nose with an intense herbal component (a strange herbal component but I couldn't pinpoint the exact aroma, faulty?), with time a reductive note, apple cider. On the palate this shows better with a nicely intense yellow fruit component, minerality, some baking spices and some spicy notes. Not super complex or perfectly delineated but quite good, fresh, creamy, light and round with zero oxidation notes and enough fruit left for more ageing. I liked this a lot. 91/92 pts.

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  • 1999 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia 94 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Two Lopez de Heredia whites side by side. I like to drink these white Rioja from time to time for intellectual pleasure as they are quite unique but I'm not the biggest fan of the style (and wouldn't buy these for my cellar). They are quite particular and often with oxidation notes. In this tasting, youth trumped maturity and Reserva trumped Gran Reserva. Winner was the Vina Tondonia Reserva 1999 (rated 94 pts) which showed beautifully complex and well defined without fault and with seductive nutty/bakery aroma profile. The Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva 1981 showed more mature, less complex and precise and had a rather strange nose.

    TN: The dominant component on the nose was this wonderful nuttiness with some bakery aromas you can find in aged Champagne. Some more spices and hints of oxidation notes. On the palate this is quite expressive displaying a beautiful sweetness with lots of apple, nutty, brioche and baking spices aromas as well as layer of minerality. Strongly reminded me of an aged Champagne with no mousse left. Nicely fresh and round with a beautiful creaminess. Easily 94+ pts. Only with time this got a bit weaker and lost a bit of its good tension.

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Flight 2 (3 Notes)

  • 1954 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 89 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Three Tondonia Grand Reservas tasted side by side. All three showed impressively that the Tondonias can age gracefully for decades. They all showed surprisingly fresh and with lots of fruit with probably a bit more tertiary aromas missing for the best possible harmony and complexity. To the wines: True to the vintage hierarchy, this was a clear win for the 1970 (rated 94+ pts) which delivered a convincing performance with lots of fresh fruit, good complexity, high precision, fine structure with lots of tension. I’m convinced that this could have achieved a 95-97 pts rating If I would have been able to follow it over one or the other hour. The 1980 (rated 92 pts) showed the same freshness and also a lot of fruit but it is a touch too ripe and lost a bit of its tension towards the finish and with some time. The 1954 (rated 89 pts) was did not have fully clean lines and was missing a bit of substance.

    TN: Medium- expressive nose displaying dark fruits, leather and earthy notes but also some alcohol heat. On the palate this shows the same aromas but not as much tertiary aromas as hoped. It still has a good tension and nice creaminess but overall it doesn’t have enough weight and gets thinner towards the finish. It is missing substance and precision. The nice creamy and round structure, the weightlessness of the wine are not enough to make up for it. 89/90 pts.

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  • 1970 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 94 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Three Tondonia Grand Reservas tasted side by side. All three showed impressively that the Tondonias can age gracefully for decades. They all showed surprisingly fresh and with lots of fruit with probably a bit more tertiary aromas missing for the best possible harmony and complexity. To the wines: True to the vintage hierarchy, this was a clear win for the 1970 (rated 94+ pts) which delivered a convincing performance with lots of fresh fruit, good complexity, high precision, fine structure with lots of tension. I’m convinced that this could have achieved a 95-97 pts rating If I would have been able to follow it over one or the other hour. The 1980 (rated 92 pts) showed the same freshness and also a lot of fruit but it is a touch too ripe and lost a bit of its tension towards the finish and with some time. The 1954 (rated 89 pts) was did not have fully clean lines and was missing a bit of substance.

    TN: This is an impressive wine. Expressive bouquet with lots of ripe, fine dark fruit, honey notes, herbs and minerality. Sexy, inviting nose. On the palate this showed more mature notes of leather and mushrooms wrapped around the same sweet but fresh forest fruit and honey core. Additional layers of minerality and herbs. Quite complex and very precise. Good structure with fine tannins, well-integrated high acidity, fresh, weightless texture and feel with the right amount of creaminess and overall very good balance. Good weight on the finish too. This is the second time I get to taste this 1970 and both times I’ve been lucky to get a well stored, singing bottle (rated 93 pts back in 2019). 94-95 pts.

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  • 1980 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 92 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Three Tondonia Grand Reservas tasted side by side. All three showed impressively that the Tondonias can age gracefully for decades. They all showed surprisingly fresh and with lots of fruit with probably a bit more tertiary aromas missing for the best possible harmony and complexity. To the wines: True to the vintage hierarchy, this was a clear win for the 1970 (rated 94+ pts) which delivered a convincing performance with lots of fresh fruit, good complexity, high precision, fine structure with lots of tension. I’m convinced that this could have achieved a 95-97 pts rating If I would have been able to follow it over one or the other hour. The 1980 (rated 92 pts) showed the same freshness and also a lot of fruit but it is a touch too ripe and lost a bit of its tension towards the finish and with some time. The 1954 (rated 89 pts) was did not have fully clean lines and was missing a bit of substance.

    TN: At first this showed quite powerful and dense with lots of dark forest berries, which are very ripe, lots of honey and some herbal notes and touches of minerality on the nose and palate. Not as complex as the 1970 in the next glass but also quite precise. Round tannins, a high but not perfectly integrated acidity and a nice creamy texture with not too much weight. With more air it got a bit unbalanced and watery towards the finish. But before that this was drinking easily on a 91/92 pts level. Overall, a solid wine but probably not a vintage to keep for another decade or two.

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Flight 3 (3 Notes)

  • 1962 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Reserva Especial Flawed

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Three CVNEs from the 1960s tasted side by side. I’ve had amazing experiences with 60s wines from this winery before including a perfect 100 pts experience with a magical bottle of the 1964 Vina Real Gran Reserva a year ago. Hence, expectations for this series were quite high and that’s why the disappointment was immense with two out of three bottles showing faulty or dead. The 1962 Vina Real Gran Reserva (NR) was completely dead, well past its prime (probably a faulty cork as provenance was impeccable). The 1966 Imperial Gran Reserva (NR) was unfortunately corked. Fortunately, the 1966 Vina Real Gran Reserva (rated 94 pts) was singing and one of the wines of the night thanks to a lot of substance, sexiness, precision and tension. Like my 100 pts experience with the Vina Real from the same vintage, this needed time and got better by the minute. Despite to flawed bottles, I still think these old CVNEs are worth any search.

    TN: Completely dead. Well past its prime.

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  • 1964 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva 94 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Three CVNEs from the 1960s tasted side by side. I’ve had amazing experiences with 60s wines from this winery before including a perfect 100 pts experience with a magical bottle of the 1964 Vina Real Gran Reserva a year ago. Hence, expectations for this series were quite high and that’s why the disappointment was immense with two out of three bottles showing faulty or dead. The 1962 Vina Real Gran Reserva (NR) was completely dead, well past its prime (probably a faulty cork as provenance was impeccable). The 1966 Imperial Gran Reserva (NR) was unfortunately corked. Fortunately, the 1966 Vina Real Gran Reserva (rated 94 pts) was singing and one of the wines of the night thanks to a lot of substance, sexiness, precision and tension. Like my 100 pts experience with the Vina Real from the same vintage, this needed time and got better by the minute. Despite to flawed bottles, I still think these old CVNEs are worth any search.

    TN: At first, this seemed a bit simple with just a bit of fresh ripe fruit and some not well defined tertiary notes showing on the nose and palate but with every minute and every swirl the wine got stronger and stronger, gaining weight and aromatic complexity and improving precision. Expressive nose with fresh dark forest berries, some sweet honey notes, herbs, leather and minerality. Same aroma profile with a tad more earthy and minerality notes as well as tobacco and more leather on the palate but still with this beautiful fresh fruit core that creates this wonderful balance and freshness. Good precision. Fine structure with melted tannins, high and well-integrated acidity, nicely creamy texture with builds more over time and a good, long finish. I’m quite certain that this would have reached the 95+ pts category if I would have had more time to follow it.

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  • 1966 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva Flawed

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Three CVNEs from the 1960s tasted side by side. I’ve had amazing experiences with 60s wines from this winery before including a perfect 100 pts experience with a magical bottle of the 1964 Vina Real Gran Reserva a year ago. Hence, expectations for this series were quite high and that’s why the disappointment was immense with two out of three bottles showing faulty or dead. The 1962 Vina Real Gran Reserva (NR) was completely dead, well past its prime (probably a faulty cork as provenance was impeccable). The 1966 Imperial Gran Reserva (NR) was unfortunately corked. Fortunately, the 1966 Vina Real Gran Reserva (rated 94 pts) was singing and one of the wines of the night thanks to a lot of substance, sexiness, precision and tension. Like my 100 pts experience with the Vina Real from the same vintage, this needed time and got better by the minute. Despite to flawed bottles, I still think these old CVNEs are worth any search.

    TN: Corked.

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Flight 4 (3 Notes)

  • 1928 Federico Paternina Rioja Gran Reserva 96 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    This Paternina Gran Reserva was without doubt the consensus wine of the night. This wine showed very sexy and sweet and at the same time superbly elegant and light. At almost 100 years, this still is full of tension and life and despite not being the most complex wine of the night (CVNE Imperial Gran Reserva 1964 gets that crown), this was the winner thanks to a high precision and ever-changing aroma profile but above all the perfect harmony and balance, it’s so weightless and elegant. A true testament of how well these old Riojas can age.

    TN: Expressive on the nose with lots of dark red and dark fruit, from fresh and pure to sweet and candy like on the ripeness spectrum. Same fresh and sweet fruit on the palate among more layers of honey, minerality, herbs, hints of coffee and wet earth. Very clean lines, no faulty notes, very precise aromatics with good intensity and ever so slightly changing. Medium bodied, this wine is all about finesse. It’s weightless with the perfect amount of creaminess. Such a light feel, ultra-soft tannins, good tension, perfectly integrated high acidity. The finish is long and driven by the sweet fruit paired with more earthy and tertiary notes. This is a stunning wine. For an even higher rating I would have needed more tertiary aromas, more complexity.

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  • 1954 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Flawed

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Unfortunately, this was badly corked. Such a shame. I’m a fan of this wineries more recent releases and just recently had an excellent 1934 Gran Reserva (rated 93 pts, others at the table rated it higher).

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  • 1955 Faustino Rioja I Gran Reserva 93 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    This is a late release (2018) from the winery (2555 bottles) to honour the first ever Gran Faustino Reserva which was produced for the first time in 1955 (and released in 1963 or 55 years prior to the 2018 late release). Hence, bottle in perfect shape, perfect fill level, perfect provenance. This was quite clean and nice with the superbly fine and elegant, fully mature structure as the highlight. It had a relatively good complexity but the fruit wasn’t as fresh and pure but much more in the dried spectrum and hence the wine felt less fresh and vivid. This is a good wine but without exceptionalism.

    TN: Medium+ intense nose with dried dark red fruit, earthy notes, lots of spices. Same aroma profile on the palate with more dried fruits, lots of fruit, more tertiary aromas with tobacco and wet earth and some mushrooms, again lots of spices. Quite rich but only medium bodied and full of elegance and finesse with very fine tannins, not too much weight, high acidity (slightly too noticeable) and a nice slightly creamy texture. Good from start to finish and with a very good balance but it doesn’t have the complexity and freshness, the purity of fresh fruit of the best aged Riojas out there and the best Riojas in this tasting.

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