Community Tasting Notes 20

• Martin_G wrote: 90 points

  November 9, 2023 - Very nice, paired well with cheese. Some quite palattable bitterness holds it back for me but a real nice nose regardless!

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• K&J Likes this wine: 92 points

  February 6, 2022 - Somewhat disappointed. The fruit seems to have dropped a little. Maybe the drinking window is passed?

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• forceberry wrote: 91 points

  January 15, 2022 - A blend of Viura aka. Macabeo (90%) and Malvasia Riojana aka. Alarije (10%). After the spontaneous fermentation, the wine is aged for 6 years in predominantly old American oak barrels, bottled unfiltered and aged for a further 5-6 years in the bottles before release. 12,5% alcohol. Tasted in Tondonia Blanco 1999-2005 vertical.
  
  Evolved and moderately deep golden yellow color with a subtly coppery core - this looks slightly darker than the vintages 2000 and 2001, but very similar to the vintage 1999. The nose is relatively cool and restrained for a Tondonia Blanco with slightly evolved aromas of ripe citrus fruits, some oxidative nutty tones, a little bit of savory wood spice, light crunchy notes of red apple, mature hints of caramel and browned butter and a touch of honeyed richness. The wine is dry, evolved and silky smooth on the palate with complex yet slightly understated flavors of slightly bruised apple, some oxidative notes of chopped nuts, light caramel tones, a little bit of woolly lanolin, a sweeter hint of dried fruits and a touch of tangy salinity. Although the acidity feels relatively high, lending nice, balanced structure to the wine, the overall feel is still somewhat softer and milder compared to the surrounding vintages. The finish is long and complex but a bit on the mellow side with layered flavors of nuttiness and, tangy salinity, some creamy tones, a little bit of ripe lemony citrus fruit, light nuances of hay, a toasty hint of smoke and a touch of browned butter.
  
  A very nice but also noticeably lighter and somewhat mellower vintage of Tondonia Blanco that feels a bit understated compared to the other vintages in a vertical setting. As the wine is a bit lacking in the concentration that seems to be the hallmark of Tondonia Blanco, this vintage feels more similar to Viña Gravonia - although in many vintages Gravonia feels more brisk and precise than this vintage. While this is a lovely and intellectually engaging white Rioja an sich, it is a bit lagging behind when compared to the other vintages on Tondonia Blanco we had in the tasting. Although I expect the wine to at least hold, if not develop, for years - even decades - more, I doubt this will become much more impressive even with age. I'd love to be proven wrong, though.

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• Massimo Alessandria wrote: 93 points

  September 27, 2021 - Fantastic!

  Comment

• Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 points

  October 19, 2019 - A private dinner with friends (Restaurant Zoldering, Amsterdam, NL): Imported directly by the restaurant itself. Stunning wine. Incredibly fresh, not an oxidative note in sight, ripe citrus with a beautiful line of acidity running through it, the warmth from the oak supports and defines the character but in no way dominates, waxy bottle-age; very good length.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2002
• Type White
• Producer R. López de Heredia
• Varietal White Blend
• Designation Blanco Reserva
• Vineyard Viña Tondonia
• Country Spain
• Region La Rioja
• SubRegion La Rioja Alta
• Appellation Rioja

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 127 (60%)
• Consumed 86 (40%)

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