Starting to show signs of maturity. Morello cherry and dusty old leather on the nose. There is a Sangiovese-like red fruit and acid combo here. Touches of mouldy cellar, some blood and earthy spices (vanilla, clove). The body is quite lean and the tannins mature and subdued. Still benefits from decanting a couple of hours to get back to life and bulk up. Evolves nicely in the glass bringing forth elements of soy sauce, balsamic and gently moving towards darker fruits at moments.
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Medium garnet. Unexceptional nose, a little black fruit, vanilla & leather. Medium bodied, low tannins. Didn’t get much primary fruit on the palate. Cedar, earth, mushrooms mainly. Decanted for a couple of hours prior to tasting (following advice/comments received from fellow CT members after my Tondonia 2006 tasting note last evening-for which thankyou.) Struggling with the RP 96 rating. First bottle of a case so it will be interesting to see how this evolves/develops over the next 5-10 years.
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Read somewhere that it needed 9 hrs decanting, not so, pretty approachable with cold cuts 'n cheese 'n fruit 'n bread. Turning brown around the edges of the wine glass, though.
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This bottled showed some mature fruit flavors, in addition to fresh fruits. Don't know whether this is bottle variation or a sign that these 375's are aging quickly. Still, a nice bottle of wine.
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Checked in on this one. Way too early but I was curious how this is developing. It needed quite some time to wake up but then started already to deliver. Beautiful cedar perfumed nose with cherry and juniper. On the palate pronounced cherry, plum, forest berries, coconut, sous bois, rooibos tea, new leather and ore-like minerals. Good tension at this stage, deep and sappy but also with elegance. With good persistence and potential. Will try to hold off for some years and leave a few bottles for a long time
Medium ruby with moderate rim bricking - quite beautiful Medium plus aromas of red cherry, sweet and sour sauce, soy sauce and leather with dark florals/ anise - so complex and underlaid with wonderful coconut/ American oak notes Medium bodied with palate of red cherry/Maraschino and smoked meat/ Asian five spice Medium plus acidity and medium alcohol with medium well integrated tannins Long length led by oak flavors and fruit Drinking so well now but will last 10 yrs easily This is always one of my favorite wines - I really need to compare vintages at some time
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dark ruby and clear. beautiful bouquet... perfumed, floral, ripe strawberry, slightly dusty, leather. smells like a perfect warm summer day. palate is complex, nuanced, both delicate and masculine. it's tart and sweet up front and then savoury on the back end. good acidity, red berry fruit straightaway, a touch of earth which segues to something more salty, deli meat, mushroom, wrapped around nicely integrated tannins. the saline note holds on the finish. v good. 93+
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Not the greatest vintage in Rioja but still plenty of complexity on the nose and palate here. Lovely example of traditional style. Outshone by the 2010 it was tasted alongside but popular in the group. Many many more years of development expected for Tondonia as always. (@Tufa, Rioja tasting I 2024).
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After the first few sips, I was getting ready to write a note about bottle variation. But I just hadn't let it breathe enough. Very good after open 2 hours, really lovely after 3 more.
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This remains outstanding and is reaching its peak now from my warmer than textbook cellar, with the fruit shining brighter than in the last bottles. 5/13/18/10. Scores from Suckling and Gutiérrez (96 points) are highly deserved. -2030+
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Christmas Eve Paella tasting: this seemed a bit tired at first, but put on some fruity weight with time while remaining restrained next to the young Aalto RdD. Considerably more tertiary character and complexity compared to the 09 (so not much younger) Puelles Gran Reserva, which was a plenty good benchmark Rioja in its own right.
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This felt completely shut down. After a couple hours there was less pronounced dill and vanilla character and more of that earthy, black tea, red fruit quality I was expecting. On day 2 it was showing much better but still very tightly wound. Would recommend an 8+ hour slow ox if you're eager to taste it now.
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Viña Tondonia Reserva 2007 R López de Heredia Viña Tondonia
SPANIEN, RIOJA 92688 Importör: BEDÖMNING
Provning Vinjournalen 2020 01 Januari Utvecklad doft med plommon, hallon och andra röda bär, ek, vanilj och choklad i tonerna. Medelfyllig, utvecklad och nyanserad smak med fatkaraktär, avrundade tanniner, bra syra och utmärkt längd med komplexa aromer. Rioja i klassisk stil, god nu och många år till. 13 %. 6000 fl.
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From a split. Dark red in color. The aromas take time to come together showing savory herbal cherries, vanilla, dark florals, brown spices and smoke. The palate shows savory brown sauce over dark red berries, spice, decent acidity and gently gripping tannins on the finish.
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As is with gran reservas, these need lots of time. Even when they appear to be thin wines at twenty years out, somehow the astringency of the rioja blend ends up calming down and turning into elegance. Might take 30 years to show it true form. If you have this, tuck it away for another 7 to 10 years and revisit.
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Drank during Cornerstone Provenance Night Event with more than 30 wines tasting. Did not have enough time to take down notes and didn’t have proper wine glasses. In general, the wines are still drinking fine and have characteristics of old vintage wine; forest floor, some barnyard, spices, tea, hawthorn, toast. I only managed to use my own personal score to rate the wine.
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Smooth and refined. Beautiful wine, blackberry and plum, leather and tobacco nose. Well integrated, smooth tannins, supple body. Fruit has softened but provides a lovely base with flavours of herbs and tobacco. Medium/light body, medium finish. Infinitely drinkable
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First experience for me with this vintage, and a bit of a disappointing one. Decanted for some hours. Showed nicely enough after that with dinner but not what I know and expect of LdH. Nose is very shy and a bit undefined. Palate is rather ripe, almost a bit compote, there is less acidity than expected for a young Tondonia, but quite some drying tannins. Hm, feels like an off bottle to me.
Savory nose with smoked meat, charcuterie, dried cherries and sweet coconut. On the palate, medium concentration. Flavor profile similar to the nose starting with some sour cherries that quickly drop off. There's a bit of a flavor gap in the mid palate. Then the acidity and savory characteristics with some spice and tobacco take over on the finish which is accented by dry tannins and coconutty oak. The mid palate and finish show the acidity, oak and savory character.
A little hard to read where this one is going. Maybe the vintage, but not the most concentrated and there's a bit of a flavor gap in the mid palate. Fruit seems to drop off quickly and still has quite a bit of oak to resolve. Has good acidity to suggest it'll preserve/age well, and the tannins should provide more substance to age into.
Probably best to let this wine age for at least 5 years and more likely 10 years. The fruit seems to be a bit missing and awkward at this stage of the evolution. Hopefully more interesting when it's lost all fruit, oak is better integrated, and only has mature tertiary characteristics.
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First bottle opened at new house. Let it breathe for 30 min and it has mellowed with the age into a really nice and well balanced Rioja. Leather and tannins, oak is there but softened with time. Drinking nicely
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Red and black fruits, leather, quite a bit of new oak still showing and fairly raw tannin. Crazy how young this showed for a 16 yr old wine. Next bottle in 5+ yrs
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Good but not great yet. I'd give this at least 3 more years. Certainly improved after 2-3 days open in the fridge. Nice potential... but still too young IMO.
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From 375ml - Very mature, deep ruby purple. Library, leather bound books, fennel seeds, dried purple fruits on the nose. Palate had fully resolved tannins Had an interesting mature flavor profile. Very enjoyable.
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very odd bottle. showing some heat damage (as no notes below mention that characteristic) but beyond that wine is almost quite nice--largely due to the nose that reminds of aged port (again, heat damage) stewed red plum, chocolate, musky earth, and spice cake.
In the mouth, the heat damage takes it toll with clunky stewed fruit that nearly obliterates a pleasant interplay of balsamic and oak.
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Nice Rioja (I have about one a year). It showed better day two. Red/black fruit, good hints of Herbs, classic dill. Tannins still present but not an issue at all. It was tasty.
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Still a baby after more than an hour in a decanter. Nonetheless it did open and materially smooth out over 2+ hours. Lovely sweet and sour red cherry and other red fruits with touches of black fruit, spice, and dried herbs, a light Oak touch. I expect this will improve over the next handful of years and then last for a decade thereafter, perhaps longer.
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2 hour decant. In a fantastic place right now. Plenty of acid, rich red fruit, spiced nose. It can absolutely go much longer but you would not be mistaken drinking now.
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Decanted for 2 hours before serving (and needed imho).
Starting to soften though would suggest those with greater patience to keep holding as further maturity and Ph balance to come.
Soft, silky and well rounded tannin and some earth/red fruit/cherry notes. Slight Ph imbalance with some notable acidity on the mid to late palate. Pleasant 91+
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Beautiful, dark terracotta and perfectly clear. Still fresh, complex note of dark fruits and some vanilla from aged oak. Black currants, dark cherries, oriental spices, dill and vanilla on the palate. Quite long aftertaste.
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Drunk next to Vina Bosconia 2010, it has an intense red color with garnet rim. At the nose it's earthy, ematic, with flowers but also undergrowth. Beautiful palate, intense, with lively tannins and nice acidity. Very pleasant and long finish.
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Beautiful nose of eucalyptus forest, earth and that unique sour cherry-coconut note that says old school Rioja. Takes an hour or so to wake up on the palate and flesh out. What unfurls is a medium bodied, impeccably balanced Tondonia, maybe slightly riper cherry fruit than many years, with sugared cranberries and orange peel, a discreet touch of integrated American oak, just a hint of VA, and overall elevated acidity. Slightly confected on the finish is the main detractor. Chalky tannins, mostly integrated, and structure suggest a Tondonia for the medium term (say, to 2033) rather than one for the ages like 2001 and 2004.
Holds up nicely on day 2 - more crystalline purity to the fruit (less sweet-sour, no confected note), with slightly less complexity and tannins that have fully melted.
Tempranillo (75%), Garnacho (15%), Graciano and Mazuelo (10%), spontaneous fermentation, 6 years aged in American oak, 13% vol.
Decanted an hour before dinner, but still improves in the glass. Superb nose with dark berries, sour cherries, forest floor and a suggestion of tar and roses, on the palate elegant, rather high acidity, nice bitter note, medium to full bodied and a long finish but slightly drying.
Was a tad more approachable two years ago, it is less on the fruit now. Seems as it enters now a more mature state and needs some more cellaring to get to full maturity, but this is criticism on a high level, 91+.
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My impressions? Make no mistake, this is not a Cali wine, it is not for Bdx enthusiasts. It is uniquely Rioja from Spain. Much like what GolfWine says in their review below, minus the 84 score......a nice wine, with a bit of tart cherry. Secondary characters of leather, mushroom, etc. Pnp'd and enjoyed over 2 hours. By then it smoothed out considerably and the tart cherry deepened and evolved into more black cherry. Some slight tart red cherry remains but everything is smoother. This is a very interesting and pleasant wine. It seems I like it a bit more than others here on CT, do. Amazing product with amazing complexity/quality for the price. While certainly not for everyone's palate, I might could even give this one a 94 with another hour of air, we'll see.
From a half bottle. On open very simple and sour cherries. After 45 min a well aged Rijo. The 375 are past their prime based on this bottle. Edges slightly orange/brown. Nose ripe red fruits and plum, drinking boysenberries, sour cherries, oak, leather, slightly astringent, long tart finish . If you got any 375s drink up now. I’d expect the 750s being at peak.
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The classic tondonia for Christmas holidays. In the beginning cherry, vanilla, and tobacco which gives way to iron, leather and a little darker berries. Caramel when peaking. This is my third 2007 and it feels like the fruit is about to start to fade away.
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Tondonia tipicity, this combination of quite some wood - even with some hint of vanilla, but not in an overwhelming dosis-, medium volume, good acidity and fine-grained tannins. Still young, no hurry at all.
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Drank with confit de canard and mash after 30 minutes in a decanter. Drinking very well with a completely resolved tannin structure. Very appealing and approachable from the get go, and only got better with air. There's no rush to drink this, but I also don't see much improvement in the future, as the fruit is so charming now.
Indications of the maturity you’d expect from a wine with these credentials, and time in cask and bottle. The palate is still very alive in fruit, but harmonious, the oak and tannin being nicely integrated. It’s clearly a fine wine that also happens to be an easy drinker. It’s down to personal taste as to whether you prefer this, or the different style of the Ribera, in terms of how Tempranillo is represented.
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Ruby to garnet with only a slight hint of orange hue in thin layers. From the start without airing it delivers a complex nose of red berries, cherries, plums, violets, old leather and books. The first sip is a little bit of work as the high acidity first seams a bit too much, but after that first sip, it shows a well balanced personality. Iron, red and black berries, vanilla, pepper. Great elegance and complexity which makes the difference to its already excellent entry level wine Cubillo. 5/13/18/10. -2030+ if perfectly cellared without much travelling since release.
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Decanted for two hours. Very tart--currant, cranberry, boysenberry flavors. Not what I expect for a Tempranillo-based wine. I expected black cherry and more silkiness, but maybe that will come with more time. Drank from a 375ml.
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Nase eine Wolke von Balsam, Vanille, Salbei, Rose, Borke. Am Gaumen merklich angereift und doch noch fruchtig, fleischig, heftige Säure. Vor allem dafür wird es noch Zeit brauchen. Gut integriertes Holz, unheimlich langer Abgang.
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93 Un clásico riojano en el mejor sentido de la palabra. Rubí ligeramente atejado. Nariz clásica, tostados, coco, buena fruta ácida. En boca ya está perfecto para beber, tanino muy suave, acidez perfecta, mucha clase. Muy accesible ya, jugoso, conjuntado. Un vino excelente.
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This is a well-established winery that has been around for 145 years and has quite a bit of history! From the website: “It all started in the middle of the nineteenth century when French negociants visited the Rioja region to find alternative sources of quality grapes to transform into wine, since the phylloxera epidemic had decimated their vineyards. Our founder, Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic student in the art of wine making, followed closely in their footsteps.
“Don Rafael fell in love with the region and especially the area around Haro, the mythical capital of the Rioja Alta region. He observed that there was a magical combination of soil and climate that would offer the perfect environment for producing wine that would eventually become world famous. Around 1877 he began the design and construction of the complex that is today known as the López de Heredia bodega (winery), the oldest in Haro and one of the first three houses in the Rioja region.”
This particular offering is a blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho, 5% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo, all from the winery’s estate vineyards.
Medium garnet in color, this wine is moderately aromatic with aromas of star anise, cocoa, coffee and black pepper. It also exhibits red and black fruit aromas, most notably ripe black plum and perhaps a prune characteristic, but they are muted upon the opening, perhaps as a result of ageing and needing some air. After letting the wine breathe for a bit, the black plum and prune characteristics unfold along with ripe red cherry, gaining in intensity and leaving an interesting mix of dark/red fruits, graphite and a bit of oaky vanilla. Upon sipping, one is met with a silky-smooth wine with moderate tannins and medium-high acidity. The attack features star anise, which is then followed by black plum, young blackberry, red raspberry, and fresh red cherry in the midpalate. These are accompanied by iron (oddly), graphite, potting soil and a smidge of dried herbs. The finish is very long, starting with red cherry and iron which gradually fade away into nothingness.
Overall an interesting wine! Full-bodied for a Rioja, and it seems it picked up some oxidative characteristics in its ageing that separate it from your typical Rioja. Due to its fully body, I could easily see this going well with a steak; it has the body and the tannin structure to stand up to a beefy dish. Filet mignon, anyone?
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Decanted for an hour, from a 375 ml bottle. The nose is quite lively, with savoury red fruits, cherry and a bit of bilberry and a hint of cinnamon. The palate shows minerally red fruit, with a touch of earthiness, salty cherries on the finish, good tannins. An elegant wine, in a juicy spot now with potential to develop further.
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RZ's Rioja Offline (Ariana II, Kilburn): Notes becoming a touch sparse at this point - dark, broody, tobacco, cool. Medium bodied, cool dark fruit, tobacco. Excellent, needs another 2-3 years.
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RZ's Rioja Dinner (Ariana II): Showed well! I understand this was a weak vintage in Rioja, and maybe will be drinking earlier than grander vintages - this is just starting to be enjoyable now but I think with another year or two will be in an even better place.
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We opened this side-by-side with the 2008. By comparison, this was immediately more friendly/generous, with a pleasant hit/hint of creaminess and a pleasant suggestion of vanillin. But interestingly, within an hour, it became, like the 08, more reserved and subtle. Savory dark fruit, with suggestions of tobacco. Decent finish. Balanced and quite restrained. Very enjoyable over four nights, showing little degradation even at the end.
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Beau bouquet, subtil, élégant, sur les fruits bruns comme la prune & les figues. Les épices sont bien intégrés au bouquet. Il y a un petit qqchose d'herbes séchés & un aspect terreus fort agréable. Belle ensemble invitant. La bouche est élégante, en retenu & subtilité, sur la prune entre autre & d'autres fruits foncés. Les épices douces sont omniprésentes. Bonne acidité qui apporte une belle allonge. La finale est fort agréable, sur des petits fruits acidulés comme la canneberge entre autre. Fort agréable, tout est bien intégré!
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Relatively subtle nose with oaky notes and some cherry. Palate medium bodied. Sour cherries and quite a dominant woody tertiary note with hints of vanilla from the oak too.
Much more a "classic Rioja" versus my other favourite, the LRA Ardanza (which overall I prefer despite both being great Riojas); less sweet red fruit and more woody/tobacco hints.
Not the most complex or multidimensional wine but very nicely structured and balanced. Tannins well integrated and this is drinking very well now, perhaps benefiting from a 30min decant. Good finish.
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Lean and tart, with savory red fruit and a rather rigid texture. Borderline metallic notes on the finish. It’s strongest attribute is that it really cleansed the palate nicely when drunk with a rich Hungarian bean and ham hock soup. Clearly served to elevate the soup. Beyond that, I only found glimpses of inner charm that could not overcome the shrill exterior.
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Popped and poured which is a mistake that’s on me. Weak nose and funky palate led to a quick decanting for moderately improved results. Paired with Rioja style pork chop that was a terrific combination. Translucent Ruby light in body and in stain on the cork. Nose at peak 90 min after decanting was red fruit driven, cherry and even roses, and hints of vanilla. Palate did not match with a sour cherry tartness that was unexpected 2.5 hours later nose is gone but tartness remains. Tannins are relaxed but would not have expected this is a 21 year old reserva wine. Short finish. Overall not a wine I am excited to go back at least in this vintage. I look forward to comparing to both a 2005 gran reserva 904 and also a 2015 Pintia that I will drink in the near future.
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Interesting experience. There is plenty acidity and sour cherries on the nose and palate. The wine is still fresh, you would not recognize it's age, tannins are perfectly matured and woven in. I am not the biggest fan of such wines, I miss the warm and earthy note,s and it could be darker and more fruity for my taste. However, very nice wine, good to enjoy over the whole evening.
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This vintage isn’t growing on me. This was quite a sound bottle but had a bit of roasted fruit tones on the nose and palate. It’s still quite youthful, in the sense that the wine is still reasonably compact, with bright acidity and low alcohol; even so, as I was tasting it, my mind went to the Southern Rhone, which is not what I’m looking for from LdH. I love this bottling in .375 for checking in and so far, favor 2008
Always a good wine, popped and poured from 375 over an hour, color was slightly brickish, nose slightly muted at first but after 15 minutes came out revealing cassis, dark fruits and a slight hint of dill, flavors were dark fruited, mildly tannic, low acidity, this is just a nice wine and tge flavors are difficult to describe but suffice it to say it has plenty of fruit with only a slight oak influence, very nice particularly for the price.
Still packs a punch on the front end, tart cherries and iron, soft tannins. Will hold on to the next bottle for several more years to see if it balances out further, but enjoyable today.
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Not nearly as open/ready as a bottle last July. Taut with some stringency in the tannins. Drunk over two hours and not much development in that time: HOLD.
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Popped and poured. Sour cherry, wet rocks and vanilla on the nose. Needs food for sure, but the flip side is it is great with food. The feature that defines this characteristic is the acidity and mid-palate lightness/fruit drops off. I had it with chili, sour cream, and bread dipped in spicy olive oil. It was so much better with the food! The finish goes on and on. Others have compared to Burgundy or Barolo and I think those comparisons are appropriate .
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Color: medium-deep ruby with little garnet reflexes / Nose: intense, dark cherries, ripe strawberries, little cigar box and menthol / Palate: high acidity, medium and very silky tannins, medium bodied, fantastic length, blackberries, redcurrant, coffee, earthy notes / Glass I used: Zalto Universal / Overall: A great classic produced Rioja. There are no heavy vanilla notes which I usually expect from a Rioja and which I don't like very much. This Rioja even has elements of a Burgundy or an elegant Nebbiolo. It is at a perfect stage but will have some years ahead of it. It is the first time that I tasted a wine from this producer. It blew me away. The wine is intense but extremely elegant at the same time. This Rioja is fresh, has a fantastic balance, is very precise and has a fantastic length. Just great!!! 9/10 (special plus for balance and length)
Die Nase ist fein, dicht und konzentriert. Saftige rote Beeren, rote Kirsche, gut eingebundenes Holz und feine Tertiäraromen, Leder und Teer. Am Gaumen auch ganz deutlich Eisen. Total durchgegoren und trocken, aber jede Menge Extraktsüße. Feine Mineralik und geschliffenes Tannin, wird aber auch durch eine feine Säure zusammengehalten, die aber nicht so ausgeprägt und im Vordergrund ist wie beim Viña Bosconia des gleichen Erzeugers. Alles beieinander, nichts stört, sehr dicht und fein, wunderbar lang. Ärgere mich sehr, dass das meine letzte Flasche war, denn dieser Wein ist noch kein bisschen müde und hätte noch eine große Zukunft vor sich gehabt. Muss meine letzte Bewertung vom Vergleich Bosconia 2007 und Tondonia 2007 auch etwas zurücknehmen, dieser Wein ist doch noch mal etwas größer. (95)
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This has a lot of potential but it’s not settled yet. High acidity up front suggests this still has plenty of room to age. Lots of interesting tertiary flavors (oak, leather, forest floor, iodine, iron) and some fruit but needs more time to come together. Long finish. Chewy. Tannins are fine, drying the mouth. Exciting future ahead of it.
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Red cherries, iron, berries, and a hint of vanilla on the nose. Medium+ acidity with good tannic structure and bright berry notes, more cherries, and just a bit of raspberries towards the nice finish. Great wine, drinking well already but clearly with room to improve. 92-93++
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Bright red cherry fruit with high amounts of fresh acid rounding out the palate. Aftertaste of earthy, oaky notes with a medium finish. Super approachable.
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Med intense herbal bouquet which also reveals that this is a matured wine. Soft w. mushrooms and leather and cigar box. Quite light body, med acidity and reduced tannins. Sour cherries, black currants and vanilla. Despite its age, very refreshing and juicy. Good length finish.
Keep or drink
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Decided to have a cheese course while watching TV so I opened a 375 and let it sit for an hour. Red fruit, leather, licorice and earth dominate the palate. The cheese was a good match and it was an enjoyable combination. Drinking it by itself not so enjoyable. It could be that I just do not appreciate this style of wine. I have had the 2008 last year and I was just not a fan. Probably just me.
Nose: Graphite, smoky, red fruit, classic Rioja, elegant.
Palate: Freshness, elegant, fine balanced fruit on the red and even black side, animating very good drinking flow, no wood recognizable, touch marzipan, nevertheless with structure. Gives very good uncomplicated drinking pleasure.
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Flavours predominantly red fruit - strawberry very noticeable. Accompanied by leather and earth. Considering the age, the fruit tones are still quite prevalent. Body is fairly light and flavours do dissipate fairly quickly. Definitely needs to pair with cheese or light appies.
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Decanted 45mins (coravin pour) Nose: Rhubarb, Oak, Clay, Spice, Oak, Red Fruit Color: Garnet with some solid bricking. Medium body, medium (-) acid. Drinking fantastically now. Tannins starting to integrate nicely, very smooth. Rich fruit body, primary flavors still present. Red fruit, cherry, oak, nice finish. Not exceptionally long, but still delicious. For the price you can't beat it.
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Brilliant dark red in the glass. Nose of vanilla-spiced, dusty wood . A light, aged oak. Smooth mouth feel, soft cherry flavor until the finish, which is red-fruit spicy followed by vivid acidity carrying a lengthy finish with drying tannins in the end phase.
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Nice Rioja. Good balance and fraicheur. In integration phase. Still tannines present. At its peak in 3-5 years. Good finish. Looking forward to drink this in 2025. Still developing
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Very good Rioja, good vanilla nose (classic rioja), with great acidity and fruity smoothness, yet complemented by a decent backbone and structure. Recommended
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From 375. Had the 05 a week ago and this one is actually feeling more integrated / ready. This one in a brilliant spot right now, love the balance of depth and a tingly acidity, so many layers of flavor, super smooth.
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If I were introducing someone to Rioja, this is the bottle I'd choose. Textbook green, red, and black notes, medium finish, moderate tannins. Less acidic than the '06, more balanced and ready to go. Excellent. Enjoy for at least the next decade.
Not decanted in advance, but fairly ready at the get-go with ripe plummy red fruits and warm earth. Would like to give it more time to put the acidity in the back seat, but as-is no complaints. Great with a tomato paella.
Expressive, earth and leather and smoke, hint of camphor, red berries and ripe red plums, creamy (almost buttery) texture, lovely freshness and mildly grippy tannins, firm finish with good length. For my palate, this is completely ready, but it will develop for another decade at least.
Not quite there, but very good already. Acidity needs to integrate further. After that, a definite 92+. Had it slo oxing 5 hrs and then decanted for 30 min. This will go for 10 years at least and should get to its peak in 2-3 years.
Reminds of my AMA San Lorenzo for some reason. Totally different grapes…
2007 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia was perfumed, layered and elegant. The maturing Rioja was clear and medium ruby colour without any sediments. Aromas of fresh red cherry, bramble, dill and dust jumped out of the glass, followed by toast, leather and earth.
The mouthfeel was dry and medium-bodied, balanced with medium-high level of fresh acidity and medium level of silky tannin. Flavours of forest berries, vanilla, mushroom and wet stone minerals persisted in a rather long, refined finish. The alcohol level was at 13%.
According to the winery official website, the blend composed of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho and the rest with Graciano and Mazuelo. It was aged in barrels for six years. About 200,000 bottles were produced.
solid Rioja. Smoke, raspberry, vanilla. Repeat on the palate. Well balanced, though I would give it a few more years for prime balance. Thin, medium tannins, long finish.
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Velvet tannins, medium acid, medium body/alcohol; dried cherries and plums, rose petal, dill, cedar, tobacco, crushed leaves…long finish and an outstanding wine.
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Decanted 6 hrs. Not much to add here – yep, pretty open for business and is likely at or near its adult form. And a charming form at that; ripe dark berries carry a hedonistic punch while still carrying the trademark LdH notes of mushroom and dusty brown sugar. Glad to have another but I’ll probably enjoy it over the next 5 years – I’m sure it will go much longer if needed.
Another great wine from Lopez Heredia and a great value for a 2007. Still youthful with a little blackberry up front. Has plenty of earth and leather as well. Needs decanting, time and food
Very much a textbook wine, soft mocha, American oak, round and with a rich dark fruited core. Round and welcoming and drinks so easily :) AA very solid 90-91
Ruby with garnet hints and pink towards its edge. No decant. This is showing now first hints of maturity leaving his vanilla dominated past behind and becoming more and more complex and intense playing above of its pedigree. Elegant, complex and nuanced with great balance and lenght. It could be that the 96 points from the WA will seem quite conservative in a decade or so. For more detailed notes I refer to the note of TUDZ DRKL. 5/13+/18+/10. 96+ -2030+
Very oldschool, reminds me of some old Bordeaux with mushroom and forest soil aromas next to some dark fruit and a hint of vanille. It’s medium to light body, good acidity and only 13%abv. Lets see how it develops over the next day.
Nose of black cherry, cigar box, spices, earth, cedar, red flowers and orange zest. The palate is a bright and focused acidity at the core surrounded closely by tart cherry and further out by darker, roasted and savory red fruits. The integration of these along with fine grained, round tannins result in a complex and satisfyingly integrated wine that is hard to put down. Simply delicious.
My first LdH. No decant, but followed evolution in bottle slowly over 24 hours. Difficult for me to rate in a number of ways- every time I came up with an opinion on any aspect of the wine, another differing opinion popped up that made me rethink. Beautiful, intense, delicious wine? Absolutely. Relatively overrated/cultish with somewhat questionable QPR? Possibly. Similar to other (much less expensive) Rioja Reserva? Yes. Unique or more memorable than less expensive Rioja Reserva? Also yes- for better or for worse. Does it already feel quite old and softened? Yes. Does it feel like it could theoretically age WAY longer? For sure. Killer nose? Oh yeah. Weird/disjointed palate? Yep. Etc...
Pungent nose, deep and rich- tricky to tell where the oak ends and the fruit begins. Feels like mostly oak to me, although the best kind of unapologetic American oak - loads of coconut, cedar, milky vanilla bean, cigar/pipe tobacco, little nuances of wild herbs and damp autumn leaves. Awesome stuff, but the fruit itself feels buried on the nose- sort of a baked plum or redcurrant thing going on, but focuses on the sweet oak. It's genuinely interesting to me that super-noticeable, fruit-burying oaky notes are often considered a negative trait by serious old-world wine lovers, but then almost all of them worship this wine.
By contrast, the palate feels mostly about the fruit; it all feels like dried fruit to me. Dried cherry, dried cranberry, some tart red plum or underripe red mulberry. Super bright after a dark and oaky nose, but not really "lively" either. Lots of acidity that feels SUPER tart and puckery, good energy but not super well integrated (?), and a HUGE wash of dusty, chewy tannin that essentially lingers forever after swallowing, making the finish really harsh without food (and still relatively harsh with food.)
Usually I like more of a "fresh" fruit thing in wine, either really bright and juicy red fruit or extremely deep black fruit- this didn't really feel either refreshing/elegant nor particularly rich, so I'm not sure what to make of it. Awesome oak and interesting complexity, but definitely not more than the sum of its parts. It's possible that it needs to age far longer, as it might coalesce into something stunning - although I can't help but wonder what this tasted like when younger, when the fruit was a little more present (and as they release their wines so late, I'm not sure I'll ever know.) Would be unreal at the "usual" Rioja Reserva price of $25-$40. It's more often $60-$70, buuuut it might be particularly age-worthy. Thanks for reading my long note.
C'est assez harmonieux comme ensemble. Le fruit est à l'avant-plan, des cerises surtout avec un peu de bleuets et de poivre. Les tannins sont charnus et la finale bien longue nous laisse avec une petite impression de sucre. Très bon.
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Beautiful Tondonia. Fully resolved - texture is smooth as butter, anything that came from the oak is all the way absorbed. The fruit still has some sweetness to it but is advanced to the usual autumnal tones with hints of leather and cigar smoke.
I was so looking forward to this bottle, hoping it would provide more of a Gran Reserva feel than a light Crianza. But alas, it was middle of the road. Great QPR but generally light, underwhelming and nothing notable when showcased as a Magnum. Pretty bottle, no substance. Cheers.
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The 2007 Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia is showing well, bursting with rich aromas of dark berry fruit, spices, vanilla pod and subtle hints of the tertiary complexity to come. Medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, with bright girdling acids and fine tannins, this is the ripest Tondonia of the decade so far, but remains beautifully balanced in its somewhat more muscular style.
Qué bueno, qué finura; qué sutileza. Nariz clásica, poco exuberante pero fina. Tabaco de pipa, flores, a las 20h abierto le noto mazuelo. Boca con tanino muy pulido, listo para beber pero no hay necesidad de correr.
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PnP a 90/91. It is a typical 2007 it is a bit austere. However the Bosconia 2007 was really and even more impressive. This has typical a bit muted aromas of leather, iron, blackberries, forest fruits, vanilla hints and raspberries. Its medium bodied a bit linear and austere black and blue fruits palate has vaniila hints, lovely acidity and good length. I think this needs aeration and will improve for 5-10 years. 13%. I salute Prince Phillips life! On day 2 fines up and gains length.
Still youthful, very well-balanced, slight oak note but with perfect touch, medium bodied, mod. tannins, not perfect but OK with roasted chicken (after the Chard). W/M&D @ B's
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First time tasting since visit to the winery in 2019. Seems to have shut down since then, as the nose is a little muted. Nevertheless, a wonderfully unique terroir wine with notes of leather, earth, cherries. Mid ruby. Excellent acidity and wonderful length. Elegant and Burgundian in character. I plan on waiting some years before approaching this vintage once more.
Nice garnet in the centre with a brick red coming on the rim. Old school Rioja on the nose with well evolved American oak. Palate is mature slightly stewed strawberry with a hint of black pepper - tremendous acidity and front facing fine tannins give a long, long finish.
Can you believe I was in Haro in 2013 and coudnt get a tour here? It was harvest time and we got one at Muga so I cant be too sad. 75% temp 15% garnacho 5% graciano and 5% mazuelo which seems weirdly consistent across vintages. Compared to the 2001, 2004, and 2005 this is inferior. But those were amazing vintages and this is still 'young". This isnt about fruit but more about earth and leather. The first glass from p&p was off so seriously give this a decant or air. A beautiful wine from a beautiful place in this world.
I had the brilliant idea of serving this with tuna poke, thinking that a light and somewhat acidic red would go with tuna poke. It does not. And so I'm not scoring this because it would have been better under more beneficial circumstances. I was surprised by the acidity of this, and I will wait 2+ years before I open another bottle in hopes that the acidity calms down. And drink it with rich pasta or meat.
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Highly perfumed. Lots of wonderful floral notes in nose. Dark bing cherry color. Red fruit galore on palate. A beautiful wine. I must buy more. Drank from. 375ml
Mar 2: coravin. Garnet with light brownish outter rim. Now, I dont know why but I was getting slight smell of cummin. It was so subtle that it made the wine more interesting. There has smell of cherries as well. Palate of bright cherries with lots of acid that shows this is still very young after 14 years of vintage. Long lingering length. This definitely has aging potential. I would love to try one that has been aged 30 to 40 years. This is a wine that is good with food or alone but better with food due to its acidic character at this "young" age. Very good wine.
Apr 3: I had 1 glass left over from Mar 2nd bottle. The bottle was vacuumed sucked closed. The wine waa still fresh. Acid, smoke, black peppery goodness. I really love this wine.
Opened, tried a sip and decanted it for about 4 hours. Plum, red berries, a hint of fresh moss and slightly earthy, bright, fresh and elegant, medium bodied, long finish. Great food wine but also very good on its own. Ready to drink, will be interesting to follow it over the next two decades, it's a joy to drink these very traditionally made beauties. Decanting does not harm but is also not a need.
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Brick colored with light sediment in the bottle. Smelled like red currant and plum and tasted like dust and oak. The body is medium/full with silky texture. Medium finish with has high acidity. Enjoyable and easy to drink.
An elegant and precise expression of the Tondonia style. Beautifully bright and fresh core, crisp cherry fruit and a hint of plum, intense aromas of leather, cigar, wood smoke and earth, medium-bodied, finely woven tannins, very good resonance and length. Excellent now and with many years ahead.
3rd of 6 half bottles. This was the best of the bunch to date by a wide margin. Very clean and expressive, with good earthiness and bright red plum on the nose. Compact berries with fresh acidity and a backbone of dried herbs like oregano and bay leaf. It harkens of a well made bordeaux and drinks astoundingly younger than 2007. Good bottles have many miles to go
Update: I poured 4.5 oz of this into a glass container and capped it with no headspace. Revisited 4 days later. With whatever aeration took place, the wine is showing more mulled plum and roasted notes than before. Still with good supporting acidity but this was best on day 1 for me
Flat-bottom decanted and swirled several times 3pm, had with poached beef rolled brisket dinner 7pm. Kitchen temperature.
Dry near-mature smokey classy and serious Rioja with plenty of personality. Liked it very much.
N.....gentle impressions that brood to medium intensity of...smokey barrels, saddle room, molasses, liqourice, cold stewed dark plums, broken dark bitter cooking chocolate, some spices.
T....Very dry and feels more d Foodie style than an All-nighter, maybe not yet properly saddle-bite mature Rioja but close to it at 14 yrd old, drinking very well right now anyway so why keep any longer? Medium body, inky concentration in texture; some tar, some baccy, some dry leather, some burnt toffee, some plum fruit coulis, brown sugar. Fine grained tannins, just a touch grippy.
VFM?....feels like a £30 wine. Drink up, it's well ready.
PnP a 91. It has typical but a little closed aromas of barnyard, door polish, bricks, leather, clay, raspberries, vanilla hints and mulberries. Its juicy medium bodied linear yet nicely concentrated and a bit chewy palate has an excellent layered and nicely oaked decently opulent vanilla flecked refreshing blue and red fruits middle which ends long, zingy and tapering. 13%. Much better value at this quality level than what I had tasted previously. Lay down 5-10 years+.
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Medium deep ruby with a tawny tinge. Tart red cherry and black berry with a slightly musty and leathery edge. Full acidity and grippy tannins. Sharp finish that throws it a bit off balance.
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Tasty but a little underwhelming. Red fruit, dried flowers, and minerality on a shy nose. Cherries, cranberries, and bright acidity on a juicy and refreshing palate. Medium body and fine tannins. Get the sense that this wine is just waking up and will take on weight as it ages.
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Arguably the most complex old world style Rioja still produced....final " orphan " half- bottle from our cellar inventory. On nose: intense oak, vanilla and barley sugar. On palate: follow through of above flavours, in addition to tart cassis, coffee, carmelized blackberries , high quality balsamic , cranberries , fresh sage, a ghost of bay leaf and cherry pit and damp earth. Decanted for 3 hours ...served with Smithfield Ham, winter vegetables and roast potatoes ....can easily age and soften , for another 10 years.....may rate 93+ at a later date of maturity.
Cherry, pomegranate, tea, iron, dried roses and a delicious freshness about it. Barley a hint of VA that blew off after an hour. The wine could really benefit from a few hours in a decanter. Seems to be in a dumb phase right now All the pieces are there but they are not talking to each other. Perhaps the wine needs to be decanted for 5-6 hours
Decanted but no sediment. Lovely colour of full ruby with a blood orange rim. Very fresh and young nose of vanilla, wild strawberry, high quality milk chocolate, black raspberry and light mulling spices. With time more dark berries, cedar and tar emerge. So smooth on the palate! Effortless and weightless. Medium bodied. Similar bright land dark red fruit flavours with goji berry, but less spice. Not at all sweet. Really nice, clean acidity just shy of being tart. No hide nor hair of tannin. Sappy finish that is crunchy red berry fruit. Nice long finish.
Finally, had some quality time with this wine alone. Great aroma with mixed of different fruits and berries mixed with oak and cigar. Medium to full body on the palate, very smooth and classic Tondonia, enjoyable. Long sour plum finishing was definitely made it remarkable. Such a great and good value wine.
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Decanted for about an hour, this was quite pleasant indeed. The nose was quite classic Tondonia, with notes of sweet berries backed up by more bassy aromas of earth, meat and nice Tempranillo drifts of menthol and cigarette smoke. The palate was exactly what you would want from a Riserva of this range, with velvet tannins and fresh acidity framing yummy flavours of black cherries, lively red berries, and little notes of smoky spice, these curling around a core of sour cherries in a perky finish. Not crazy complex, but a delightful wine nonetheless, drinking very yummily now. Not one for aging, but why wait.
Decanted. Medium-ruby color, lightens at the edges. Secondary aromas of worn leather, thyme, hints of clove, tea & pressed violet, with currant fruit. Lively pomegranate and raspberry fruit on the palate, with hints of balsamic reduction and integrated depth of bay leaf, dill and dried flowers. Medium-bodied and accessible, with alluring elegance and presence. Ample acidity, well-integrated, with plush rounded tannins, finishing dry and juicy with solid depth. Secondary stage, drinking very well. I would buy again and hold a little longer to see where it goes, but seems to be in its drinking window now.
I like it. Classic. Nose with oak, tobacco, fresh cut wood and ripe black fruit. Nice palate with good acidity which makes the wine balanced and not too big.
Agree with other notes - good LdH but not perhaps worth the mid 90s scores. There's more body and substance here than a typical vintage, but it is a little duller with less pronounced acidity. Could use 5 years or so to round off more, but as with most LdH bottles it's already very enjoyable now.
Nose of cranberry, cherry, dill, tobacco and leather. Similar palate with notes of umami as well. Great acidity and tannin for a 13yo wine. Plenty of life left.
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Not the equal of other recent vintages and somewhat dense by LdH standards, a touch hamfisted, if you will. Most notably, the wine lacks the producer's signature, high-pitched freshness. Instead, it shows more purple fruits than red, backed by only medium acid.
Technically excellent and certainly enjoyable. The mid 90s pro scores are off the mark though. 90-91.
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Popped and poured. Nose of cherry, currant, tobacco leaf and dried herbs. Black and red fruit, herbs and drying tannins on the palate. Long finish. Medium to full bodied. Served with meatless meatballs and red pepper sauce.
Strawberry nose when decanting back into the bottle. Later complex savoury notes, leather and cedar. Well balanced and good long finish. The 2001 took 17 years to peak and and improved fast over the last 5 of those years. I expect this to do the same and peak in 2024. Drinking beautifully now though.
Lean on palate, not overripe. Quite closed off even after time in decanter. The most noticeable aroma by far was from the oak — cedar especially. This was a pure expression of cedar. But it lacked both obvious fruit as well as tertiary notes
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From half bottle. Quite acidic, a little thin, hint of musty cellar but not enough to call it flawed and the same as the previous bottle. It's OK. It's not a treat and if it was a full bottle I probably wouldn't finish it.
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I had decanted several hours in advance, great nose at that time, a bit more reserved at Zoom time. Fairly firm tannins, though the lamb chops help with that. Black cherry and black raspberry, a light hint of coconut, some cedary/cigarbox notes with time. Joe had decanted his 8 hours in advance and was pleased, mine was at best at end of night (7 hours after opening). Hold B+/B
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A very deeply flavored vintage of this wine that remains quite structured even after a 4-hour decant! Such a beautifully silky texture with classic dark cherry and earthy flavors along with notes of tobacco and spices. The finish is very firm and tight suggesting too much heat in the vintage making the tannins just too strict or it needs more time. 88?
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This is a classic Rioja, with strawberry and something earthy on the nose, and dried cherry, prune, and notes of coconut, dill, and leather on the medium finish, with light tannins and strong acidity. This is more elegant than powerful, and it should improve for some years. It was a very good value at about $40.
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Classic savory, mineral character. Aromas of tobacco, coconut, dill, and sour cherry. Like good Chianti Classico on the palate — savory with a balsamic acidity. I like this style of wine and think it pairs better with food than most red wines.
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A nice version of this wine. The nose is a bit jerky with elements of coconut and suntan lotion that I assume are a product of the particular oak used. But the fruit underneath seems lovely. It's hard to discern much about this wine, really, except that it seems at this very young age to be a correct and true example of what Rioja from this producer is like. It doesn't drink badly now, but if it is to be a great wine, that will not be evident for quite some time.
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For the price and age, I expected more. This is a very dry (lacking sweetness) wine of moderate weight and depth. We drank without food accompaniment, which might have helped it as a complement. I like aged Temperanillo, but this didn't yet offer the secondary flavors of long age. Don't know what it can become with even more time; my rating reflects my impression today.
Classic Tondonia nose of fennel, dill and coconut. Fresh dark red fruits with cooked spices and nice smooth tannins, balanced with a fresh acidity. Great now but will only get better
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This took a while to really open up as I didn't decant. It started to really shine around 4-5 hours after opening. This is great, and a lovely, elegant style. Not at all as vulgar as the typical vanilla bombs, but instead full of red fruit, tobacco, and beginning tertiary notes. This is great now, and still has many years to go.
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2 hour decant. Brick red at the edges, aroma of leather, mild tobacco. Red fruits (mainly cherry), mild acidity, longish finish. Lacked a complexity I anticipated and overall left me a little disappointed, I expected a little more. Still pleasant and drinkable nonetheless.
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Classic 4 grape Rioja blend. Vibrant red color with a brick edge. Aromas and flavors of dried berries, vanilla, leather and tobacco. Earthy finish. Dusty tannins.
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Look: Medium garnet, with more of a light red/brick color towards the edge; medium+ amount of medium speed and slower legs
Nose: tomato, light balsamic, dill, bit of dried strawberry
Palate: Fresh strawberry, cherry, light chocolate, sweet tobacco, light iron/meat blood; medium+ finish of earth, tart cherry/cranberry, light herb; dry; medium rough tannin; medium+ acidity; light+ body; smooth mouthfeel
I found this to be better, maybe significantly so, on day 3, but I didn't take any notes then, so I'm reviewing this off of day 1.
Overall: This is a good, balanced wine, but it's a bit light for me and I was hoping for more complexity. I think there's some upside with aging, but right now it's good but nothing special for me.
From a half bottle. This is interesting. There's a substantial depth of flavour, though it has a lot of acidity. In some ways it's suggestive of a madeira or port, but without the sweetness or fortification. A lot of oak, some oxidised notes, along with strawberry and vanilla. There also seems to be a hint of TCA in the bottle, detectable as a kind of damp musty cellar note, which becomes more insistent after a couple of hours, but it doesn't ruin the experience.
Robe cerise avec pourtour légèrement brunâtre; Nez fort agréable, amples, avec une impression de léger "fondu" des notes de cassis, de prune, les figues, finement boisé & épicée. Légère impression anisé. Ensemble harmonieux & invitant. Bouche principalement sur un fruité légèrement compoté, dense & foncé (cassis & pruneaux), bien supporté par une bonne acidité qui apporte une bonne fraîcheur. Finale longue, sur les épices & un retour sur les pruneaux. Boisé légèrement perceptible & fort agréable. Ensemble harmonieux & très bien équilibré. Excellent!
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Ten minutes after opening, nose is tangy and citrusu. Palette is tight with a hint of green. At first I'd have guessed tannic acidic cab. Hopefully it opens up with air. 2 hours later, it's just green. Nobody enjoyed this and a real let down for what is normally my favorite producer in Spain.
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Balanced and complex with dark fruits, dried herbs, and layers of depth -- a classic Tondonia. The oak is pretty pronounced, and this needs time, but it's a great QPR now and it has a bright future.
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Tangy and tart red fruits, loam, and a healthy dollop of oak. Unmistakably Rioja, though less so LdH. Also, somewhat lean for Tondonia, and seemingly lacking the latent power and terroir markers that typify Gran Reserva. It sports medium plus acid, but whether the wine packs the substance to age well remains an open question. Technically excellent, though generally uninspiring.
The 2006 vintage outshines it, at least at present. It also lacks the appeal, bouquet and taste profile, of the same vintage Bosconia.
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This wine is great but right now it's just showing hints of vibrance. The structure is there. Gripping tannins and acidity racing on the finish. We decanted and drank over 3 hours. It evolved nicely showing it's potential, but honestly I wouldn't open this for 3-5 more years. I think it will integrate much more consistently in the coming years. Great wine just needs time.
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My last bottle was corked, but when this is on, it’s really on! Not nearly as rustic or advanced as the 2006, yet it is full of character, with red to rust colored fruits with leather and spice. Just the tiniest bit of rubber on the nose (hope it isn’t trace TCA) with firm acidity and soft structure makes me think this is a 10 year wine. Santé
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Dekantert og luftet i 2 timer. Dyp granatrød med et tynt modningsskjær i kanten. Moden, varm og lett sødmefull rød frukt sammen med et tydelig fatpreg som er godt integrert. Jordbær, kirsebær og kanskje litt bringebær. Fint bearbeidet tretoner. Behagelig og fuktig amerikansk tobakk. Litt lærtoner som begynner å komme frem. Kraftig og godt konsentrert med god friskhet og fine, nedslipte tanniner som smelter. Bra match til grillet gris!
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This is certainly a fresher, brighter expression than the 2004 / 2005. Lots of bright red fruits on the nose and gripping acidity on the finish. Far less brooding than previous iterations but still definitely a Tondonia, as this wine always is. Even more than other vintages of Tondonia, I would completely understand people not liking this wine but I love it. Still plenty of structure for this to develop further.
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A relatively generous and charming, elegant Tondonia, more so than e.g. the 2003, 2004 and 2006. It reminds me of the excellent 2001. Has entered its plateau of maturity and seems to have the fruit and balance for another two decades of beneficial development. Drink now - 2037.
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Nez de griottes, d’herbes et d’épices. Bouche vive, rectiligne avec une acidité assez prononcée. Encore un bébé après 13 ans, tannique et présentant de fins arômes liés à l’élevage sans être omniprésents. Un Tondonia pour les prochains 20 ans.
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Fragrant and subtle nose of black cherries, savoury sage and crushed almond, surrounded by river stones, vanilla, dark chocolate and old leather. Nose does not have the popular delicious factor here, which is a good thing as it expressed the environment where it was from without much make-up. Palate had rather high level of acidity and minerality running through the entire length, not as elegant, deep and smooth like the 2005 vintage. Much of the fruit and spice elements are hidden behind the opaque but medium bodied structure. Finish is somewhat short and one dimensional with a hint of bitter tannins at the very end. Maybe a few more years in the bottle might help to open up the wine more if the fruit element could hold. Those who like the acidity of the sour cherries and dry minerality than rich fruits and fragrant spices will like this Rioja. Overall this vintage was a step down compared to the 2005 vintage.
Retasted in Mar 2022, not much has changed since the last tasting. It has reached the peak and will not improve anymore.
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From half bottle. Ready to drink on open. Nose, kirsch, almond, new leather, hot cherry compote, ripe plum, sherry liquor, ripe strawberries, red twizzlers, lavender, (very thick legs in the glass) nose on the sweeter and hot side. I know this was a cold year but it comes across as a hot year on the nose. It’s a hard wine to place, in the first second it comes across like a much older wine, almost something aged Bordeaux like about it. Drinking. Red and fresh (a bit mouthwatering) , rhubarb, lavender, intense red cherries, long rich finish that reminds me of a cherry liquor, a little chalky drying finish on the gums, silky smooth though, taste zero oak. Drinking more like a cold year wine.. Went very good with our Spanish dinner. A great food wine and good on its own. The 375’s are ready to drink! Cheers !
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It is consistently a great Rioja. Not a lot on the nose but smell red berrys and a bit of earth and maybe vanilla, or maybe I think i do because there is oak in the wine. I taste cherry, with hints of vanilla and spice from the oak followed by waves of acidity and smooth tannins and earth that screams to me good Rioja. Enough tannins that tell me that tomorrow will be better than today for this bottle and that the next bottle should probably stay in the cellar for a bit. I also get the sense of flat but delicious vanilla cherry coke.
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Popped and poured. Vanilla, some leather, tobacco on the nose. Acidity jumps out on the palate. Great food wine. Very little tannin, mostly on the sides of the tongue. Again, acidity dominates on the palate.
At first quite oaky, but after two hours of decanting, the wine opens. The nose is very seductive: sweet fruit accompanied by vanilla, leather and tobacco notes. Very nice. On the palate with a medium body and a quite decent acidity. Almost too much for me. Pleasant tannins considering the 6 yrs. barrel maturation. Medium finish, slightly bitter aftertaste? Overall a very nice classical Rioja wine, which is definitely already drinkable. Should still improve in the coming years. Nevertheless: Considering the high pro reviews I expected even more. 91+
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88/89. One glass. Still closed yet improves in the glass but is too young with still not much heft, some vanilla hints, highish acidity and a shortish finish. 13%. This is good but not worth 30 Euros at the moment. Lay down 5 years+.
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Crimson with garnet at the rim. Cherry, baking spices and vanilla on the nose. Loads of tannins and acid with cherry on the attack, mid-palate and finish, which is long and satisfying. A bit intense still and needs to be opened at least a couple of hours before drinking, but will age beautifully. A unique expression of Rioja, probably due to the addition of Graciano and Mazuelo (5% each), that can be enjoyed now or for a decade or more into the future. It is an interesting counterpoint to the magnificent and oh-so-polished 2010 Vina Ardanza Reserva Seleccion Especial, with finesse being the calling card for the Vina Ardanza, while verve and intensity mark the experience of drinking the Heredia.
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Too young, but plenty to be happy about here. Lovely dark fruited with notes of flowers and just a hint of chocolate from the oak. The fruit needs to settle down just a bit and over time, this will be a great Tondonia.
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Sadly my thoughts echo so many on here. Lots there but all background and makes the wine feel very thin with the American Oak being the main influence. Not sure there's many more years left in this.
Very aromatic scent like. Fresh acidic fruit (raspberries) taste. After breathing, pepper like smell and bit of oak. Crisp and mouth watering from acidity.
Not a lot of body.
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Half Bottle. Had 3hrs aeration. Still very closed. Has typical aromas of irony, earthy, raspberries, vanilla hints and blackberries. Its bracing red and black fruits medium bodied palate has a nice texture, low oak and ends mediumish + zingy. 13%. Will give this 6hrs aeration an wait and see!
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i found this rather light and acidic right after opening. Decanting helped a lot. Still I am not sure why the sommelier at The Harwood and the many critics love this so much
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Fantastic wine. Deep garnet. A nose of tbacco, dark fruit, vanilla, and rhubarb. A chewy, potent, and beautiful palate follows. Cherry, cranberry, currant and kirsch are accompanied by touches of leather and tobacco. A long finish with relatively potent tannins. Drinking well now and will continue to drink well for decades to come
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I’m always excited to try a new vintage of Tondonia and earlier this week, I got to try the 2007 for the first time. A significant departure from the 2006 which was (and remains currently) open for business with very little coaxing, the 2007 is austere and loaded with VA. Some aggressive decanting was able to get the VA to blow off and slowly but surely it started to open up, revealing some high quality and seriously dark cherry fruit. A heady, serious wine that needs loads of patience right now if this bottle is representative. Hold or decant for 24 hours.
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På det hela taget en bra rioja. Dock upplever jag att denna jämfört med andra årgångar jag testat har en väsentligt högre syra - till den grad det tar överhanden och ger ett lite obalanserat intryck. Tydligare ektoner än jag minns från andra versioner. Tunnlar den? Fullt möjligt. Jag har tre flaskor till som jag låter ligga. Ännu inga tydliga mognadstoner.
Now we're talkin. This is a full step up from the '06. This shows layers and depth to spare. Some nice leathery goodness around the edges. Plenty of acid. Room to grow. Very good.
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Honestly, i was epecting way more. The nose was elegant but not overstated, but on the palate, the wine seemed unbalanced, with acidity way outpacing the fruit. Maybe i got a bad bottle? i have had much better reservas for half the price.
Tasted at the Wine & Spirits Top 100 Symposium in NYC. 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garanacha, 10% a mix of Mazuelo and Graciano. Great nose, floral and baking spices from the lengthy oak aging. Good length with earthy red fruit. Needs a long, long time in the cellar. I had the 1981 Gran Reserva last month and that was marvelous and still had plenty of life left.
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2007 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia was elegant, perfumed and balanced. The Rioja Reserva was clear and medium garnet in colour with thin amber rim. There was no sediment in the bottle to my surprise. On the nose, there were fruity aromas of dried strawberries and red cherries, followed by American-oak derived dill and butterscotch, with mint and cola in the background. On the palate, it was medium-bodied, complemented with medium level of balancing acidity and medium level of refined silky tannin. Minerals and ceder flavours lingered in a long finish.
According to the winery official website, the blend composed of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho and the rest with Graciano and Mazuelo. It was aged in barrels for six years. As many as 200,000 bottles were produced. It could be cellared for ten years.
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94 Espléndido vino riojano. 12 años más tarde de su nacimiento, sale a la venta este clásico. Rojo rubí, En nariz la fruta y una buena madera se combinan estupendamente. En boca es muy equilibrado, con mucha fruta y una acidez perfecta. Es pura elegancia, tanino fino, nada secante. Tiene estructura y acidez para tener una larga vida. Tremendo.
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Medium dark ruby/garnet blend. Pretty nose of cured meat, baked purple pie crust and perfectly ripe purple/black fruit along with new leather. It's a very lovey nose. Medium plus in body. Dark cherry and plum palate with dark licorice and then iron notes mid-palate into the finish which displays nice persistence but which leaves me wanting more after the complexity in the nose. I'd give this more time to hopefully come together on the palate.
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No detailed notes. This is quite young and a bit dominated by its vanilla scents for now. However it is concentrated, lovely and charming even at this early stage. A clear step up to the 2005 and probably the best Tondonia they have ever produced. 96 points from Atkin and TWA (Gutiérrez), 95 from suckling. 5/13/18/10. 2021-2030+ in a cool cellar.
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Lovely fragrant nose. Fruit and tea in a feminine style upon opening. Grippy tannins and acid after about an hour in the glass. No hurry on my remaining bottles. Maybe put on some weight with time in the bottle.
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A blend of Tempranillo (75%), Garnacha (15%), Graciano and Mazuelo (10%). Fermented spontaneously in old oak fermenters, aged in old American oak barriques for 6 years, bottled unfiltered and then aged for further 50 months in bottle. This wine could be easily labeled as Gran Reserva, but R. L. de Heredia chooses not to, because the wines labeled as Gran Reservas are aged even longer. 13% alcohol. Total production 200,000 bottles. Tasted in a Tondonia mini-vertical of 2002-2007.
Moderately translucent ruby red color. Somewhat restrained and even slightly closed nose with aromas of sweet dark plummy fruit, some wizened black raspberries, a little bit of volatile lift, light cherry marmalade tones, a hint of earth and a developed touch of old leather suggestive of prolonged aging in wood. The wine is full-bodied, silky and dry on the palate with somewhat underwhelming flavors of ripe black cherries, some strawberries, a little bit of wizened red plums, light earthy tones, a hint of lifted VA and a touch of licorice root. The acidity feels relatively modest for a Tondonia - especially in relation to the slightly understated fruit - but the tannins feel relatively ample and moderately grippy. The finish is somewhat grippy with long, dry flavors of sour cherries, sweeter strawberries, some tart red plums, a little bit of sanguine iron, light leathery tones, a hint of dried herbs and a touch of savory old wood.
A somewhat closed and understated vintage of Tondonia Reserva which certainly shows the hallmarks of the house style, but comes across as significantly underwhelming compared to the previous vintages all the way to 2003. Only the lesser 2002 vintage felt even lighter than this one. Although this is a nice wine as a classic, very old-school Rioja, this is a rather unremarkable effort for a Tondonia Reserva. I guess the wine might be in a slump now, so the fruitier notes will probably emerge with age, but most likely it won't help with the somewhat soft acidity. This is an enjoyable traditionalist red, but based on its performance tonight, I wouldn't recommend this vintage over any of the preceding four ones of Tondonia Reserva.
Light elegant nose, the palate offers mahogany, coffee, leather and sour tones, drinking nicely now but a bit soft and less acidity than for example in the -06, this probably indicates that the ageing potential for this could be limited compared to stronger vintages such as -04.
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Medium garnet. Expressive nose of mature red and mostly dark fruit, some glue scents that are not obtrusive, some earthy notes. The midpalate is fairly linear, not very complex but more light on its feet that you would expect with medium + acidity. Not my cup of tea but interesting.
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Decanted at 4pm and tasted from 7-9pm. Medium garnet color. Nose has a decent amount of sweet oak, citrus, cherry, earth and leather. Lithe and elegant mouth feel. Plenty of bright acidity. Fairly well layered flavors with cherry, vanilla, anise and tart strawberry on the finish. I think this will be better in 10 years.
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Medium red. As always the first thing I notice is the old furniture/antique shop notes in the nose, then the berry fruit and finally a bit of dill from the oak. The flavours are black cherry and boysenberry. The finish is a bit bracing and behind the acid there is a lot of tannins.
Not ripe as some 07s Riojas have been.
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5/6/2024 - pinotbestia Likes this wine: 93 Points
Starting to show signs of maturity. Morello cherry and dusty old leather on the nose. There is a Sangiovese-like red fruit and acid combo here. Touches of mouldy cellar, some blood and earthy spices (vanilla, clove). The body is quite lean and the tannins mature and subdued. Still benefits from decanting a couple of hours to get back to life and bulk up. Evolves nicely in the glass bringing forth elements of soy sauce, balsamic and gently moving towards darker fruits at moments.
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4/27/2024 - foyfrcs Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium garnet.
Unexceptional nose, a little black fruit, vanilla & leather.
Medium bodied, low tannins.
Didn’t get much primary fruit on the palate. Cedar, earth, mushrooms mainly.
Decanted for a couple of hours prior to tasting (following advice/comments received from fellow CT members after my Tondonia 2006 tasting note last evening-for which thankyou.)
Struggling with the RP 96 rating.
First bottle of a case so it will be interesting to see how this evolves/develops over the next 5-10 years.
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4/26/2024 - dmartin12358 wrote:
This wine is drinking much better now, doesn't need much decanting.
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4/23/2024 - dmartin12358 wrote:
Read somewhere that it needed 9 hrs decanting, not so, pretty approachable with cold cuts 'n cheese 'n fruit 'n bread. Turning brown around the edges of the wine glass, though.
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4/9/2024 - pinoteer Likes this wine: 90 Points
This bottled showed some mature fruit flavors, in addition to fresh fruits. Don't know whether this is bottle variation or a sign that these 375's are aging quickly. Still, a nice bottle of wine.
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4/6/2024 - B&PBaker Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Took an hour after decanting before it showed any life at all. OK but nothing special or memorable at all. Drinkable, but...
Too light for me.
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3/31/2024 - cvst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Checked in on this one. Way too early but I was curious how this is developing. It needed quite some time to wake up but then started already to deliver. Beautiful cedar perfumed nose with cherry and juniper. On the palate pronounced cherry, plum, forest berries, coconut, sous bois, rooibos tea, new leather and ore-like minerals. Good tension at this stage, deep and sappy but also with elegance. With good persistence and potential. Will try to hold off for some years and leave a few bottles for a long time
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3/29/2024 - dsamuel Likes this wine: 94 Points
Medium ruby with moderate rim bricking - quite beautiful
Medium plus aromas of red cherry, sweet and sour sauce, soy sauce and leather with dark florals/ anise - so complex and underlaid with wonderful coconut/ American oak notes
Medium bodied with palate of red cherry/Maraschino and smoked meat/ Asian five spice
Medium plus acidity and medium alcohol with medium well integrated tannins
Long length led by oak flavors and fruit
Drinking so well now but will last 10 yrs easily
This is always one of my favorite wines - I really need to compare vintages at some time
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3/16/2024 - Supremer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Amazing balance of acidity and the underlying fruit. Nicely tempered barrique
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2/23/2024 - #1 or #2? Likes this wine: 93 Points
dark ruby and clear. beautiful bouquet... perfumed, floral, ripe strawberry, slightly dusty, leather. smells like a perfect warm summer day. palate is complex, nuanced, both delicate and masculine. it's tart and sweet up front and then savoury on the back end. good acidity, red berry fruit straightaway, a touch of earth which segues to something more salty, deli meat, mushroom, wrapped around nicely integrated tannins. the saline note holds on the finish. v good. 93+
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1/15/2024 - GaryHOhio Likes this wine: 95 Points
Superb aged Rioja
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1/10/2024 - FrancoisC Likes this wine: 92 Points
Besoin d'air pour prendre du volume. Sinon c'est surtout l'acidité qui ressort.
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1/8/2024 - CWRF Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not the greatest vintage in Rioja but still plenty of complexity on the nose and palate here. Lovely example of traditional style. Outshone by the 2010 it was tasted alongside but popular in the group. Many many more years of development expected for Tondonia as always. (@Tufa, Rioja tasting I 2024).
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1/1/2024 - Topper wrote: 94 Points
Lovely wine. Rich but restrained. Classic Rioja profile. Held up to a beef stew. Best Lopz reserva that I’ve had.
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12/29/2023 - finlero Likes this wine: 92 Points
After the first few sips, I was getting ready to write a note about bottle variation. But I just hadn't let it breathe enough. Very good after open 2 hours, really lovely after 3 more.
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12/27/2023 - Caruso Likes this wine: 96 Points
This remains outstanding and is reaching its peak now from my warmer than textbook cellar, with the fruit shining brighter than in the last bottles. 5/13/18/10. Scores from Suckling and Gutiérrez (96 points) are highly deserved. -2030+
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12/26/2023 - silton Likes this wine: 92 Points
Christmas Eve Paella tasting: this seemed a bit tired at first, but put on some fruity weight with time while remaining restrained next to the young Aalto RdD. Considerably more tertiary character and complexity compared to the 09 (so not much younger) Puelles Gran Reserva, which was a plenty good benchmark Rioja in its own right.
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12/9/2023 - shallowdrift Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was I think ready to drink now - in a better place than the 2008. Decanted one hour. Red fruits, spice, tea, vanilla, smoke.
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11/26/2023 - rawdealbuffy wrote:
This felt completely shut down. After a couple hours there was less pronounced dill and vanilla character and more of that earthy, black tea, red fruit quality I was expecting. On day 2 it was showing much better but still very tightly wound. Would recommend an 8+ hour slow ox if you're eager to taste it now.
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10/29/2023 - GaryHOhio Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful Rioja, drinking very well with short decant....
drink now or within 5 years
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10/25/2023 - mikgot wrote:
BETYG
16
299:-
prisvärt
Prisvärt
Vinet är druvtypiskt
Druvtypisk
Rött vin RÖTT VIN
Viña Tondonia Reserva 2007
R López de Heredia Viña Tondonia
SPANIEN, RIOJA
92688
Importör:
BEDÖMNING
Provning Vinjournalen 2020 01 Januari
Utvecklad doft med plommon, hallon och andra röda bär, ek, vanilj och choklad i tonerna. Medelfyllig, utvecklad och nyanserad smak med fatkaraktär, avrundade tanniner, bra syra och utmärkt längd med komplexa aromer. Rioja i klassisk stil, god nu och många år till. 13 %. 6000 fl.
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10/21/2023 - devraj Likes this wine: 90 Points
From a split. Dark red in color. The aromas take time to come together showing savory herbal cherries, vanilla, dark florals, brown spices and smoke. The palate shows savory brown sauce over dark red berries, spice, decent acidity and gently gripping tannins on the finish.
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10/20/2023 - Storms38 wrote: 90 Points
As is with gran reservas, these need lots of time. Even when they appear to be thin wines at twenty years out, somehow the astringency of the rioja blend ends up calming down and turning into elegance. Might take 30 years to show it true form. If you have this, tuck it away for another 7 to 10 years and revisit.
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9/28/2023 - Sean Tay wrote: 92 Points
Drank during Cornerstone Provenance Night Event with more than 30 wines tasting. Did not have enough time to take down notes and didn’t have proper wine glasses. In general, the wines are still drinking fine and have characteristics of old vintage wine; forest floor, some barnyard, spices, tea, hawthorn, toast. I only managed to use my own personal score to rate the wine.
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9/24/2023 - marcstevens45 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Maybe a bit on the decline. I’d drink up but it’s still very tasty.
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9/19/2023 - Invest wrote: 87 Points
Nose: Smell like a ripened CH9dP, acidity, raisins.
Palate: Strong dominant 'artificial' acidity, oxidative, toasted wet wood, diffuse artificial cherry fruit, disharmonious.
That can happen in two years, don't like it anymore.
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8/20/2023 - Smahlatz Likes this wine:
Skip the rating for now. Enjoyable, but not as busy as the 05 or 06. Maybe just but the best time for it.
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8/4/2023 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Again from magnum. Elegant and well balanced. Drink or keep. 91-93
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8/3/2023 - DanielOsman Likes this wine: 91 Points
Smooth and refined. Beautiful wine, blackberry and plum, leather and tobacco nose. Well integrated, smooth tannins, supple body. Fruit has softened but provides a lovely base with flavours of herbs and tobacco. Medium/light body, medium finish. Infinitely drinkable
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7/7/2023 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 87 Points
Drank better than last bottle but … on its last leg.. from. 375 bottle
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7/3/2023 - ppandian wrote: 90 Points
Nice structure and weight. Savory notes of cherries and red fruits. Peppery tannins…
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6/24/2023 - ploher wrote:
First experience for me with this vintage, and a bit of a disappointing one. Decanted for some hours. Showed nicely enough after that with dinner but not what I know and expect of LdH. Nose is very shy and a bit undefined. Palate is rather ripe, almost a bit compote, there is less acidity than expected for a young Tondonia, but quite some drying tannins. Hm, feels like an off bottle to me.
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6/6/2023 - budosyu wrote: 90 Points
Savory nose with smoked meat, charcuterie, dried cherries and sweet coconut. On the palate, medium concentration. Flavor profile similar to the nose starting with some sour cherries that quickly drop off. There's a bit of a flavor gap in the mid palate. Then the acidity and savory characteristics with some spice and tobacco take over on the finish which is accented by dry tannins and coconutty oak. The mid palate and finish show the acidity, oak and savory character.
A little hard to read where this one is going. Maybe the vintage, but not the most concentrated and there's a bit of a flavor gap in the mid palate. Fruit seems to drop off quickly and still has quite a bit of oak to resolve. Has good acidity to suggest it'll preserve/age well, and the tannins should provide more substance to age into.
Probably best to let this wine age for at least 5 years and more likely 10 years. The fruit seems to be a bit missing and awkward at this stage of the evolution. Hopefully more interesting when it's lost all fruit, oak is better integrated, and only has mature tertiary characteristics.
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6/2/2023 - alexlb06 Likes this wine: 92 Points
First bottle opened at new house. Let it breathe for 30 min and it has mellowed with the age into a really nice and well balanced Rioja. Leather and tannins, oak is there but softened with time. Drinking nicely
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5/26/2023 - Bakerbd Likes this wine: 90 Points
Red and black fruits, leather, quite a bit of new oak still showing and fairly raw tannin. Crazy how young this showed for a 16 yr old wine. Next bottle in 5+ yrs
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5/8/2023 - VinCrush Likes this wine: 89 Points
Good but not great yet. I'd give this at least 3 more years. Certainly improved after 2-3 days open in the fridge. Nice potential... but still too young IMO.
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5/6/2023 - IDKDavid Likes this wine: 93 Points
From 375ml - Very mature, deep ruby purple. Library, leather bound books, fennel seeds, dried purple fruits on the nose. Palate had fully resolved tannins Had an interesting mature flavor profile. Very enjoyable.
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5/2/2023 - Stevere Does not like this wine: 75 Points
Oxidized.
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5/1/2023 - FiggySmalls wrote: flawed
very odd bottle. showing some heat damage (as no notes below mention that characteristic) but beyond that wine is almost quite nice--largely due to the nose that reminds of aged port (again, heat damage) stewed red plum, chocolate, musky earth, and spice cake.
In the mouth, the heat damage takes it toll with clunky stewed fruit that nearly obliterates a pleasant interplay of balsamic and oak.
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5/1/2023 - Rywyine Likes this wine:
Nice Rioja (I have about one a year). It showed better day two. Red/black fruit, good hints of Herbs, classic dill. Tannins still present but not an issue at all. It was tasty.
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4/30/2023 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still a baby after more than an hour in a decanter. Nonetheless it did open and materially smooth out over 2+ hours. Lovely sweet and sour red cherry and other red fruits with touches of black fruit, spice, and dried herbs, a light Oak touch. I expect this will improve over the next handful of years and then last for a decade thereafter, perhaps longer.
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4/29/2023 - Beachfan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Much less oaky than I remembered, tart. Wait 5 more years.
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4/24/2023 - ashishnag Likes this wine: 93 Points
2 hour decant. In a fantastic place right now. Plenty of acid, rich red fruit, spiced nose. It can absolutely go much longer but you would not be mistaken drinking now.
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4/23/2023 - Yagil wrote: 90 Points
Mature Rioja tasting (at my home): Good Rioja
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4/8/2023 - RuddReviews Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 2 hours before serving (and needed imho).
Starting to soften though would suggest those with greater patience to keep holding as further maturity and Ph balance to come.
Soft, silky and well rounded tannin and some earth/red fruit/cherry notes. Slight Ph imbalance with some notable acidity on the mid to late palate. Pleasant 91+
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4/7/2023 - ulyon wrote: 91 Points
high ph
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4/1/2023 - Geijer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Beautiful, dark terracotta and perfectly clear.
Still fresh, complex note of dark fruits and some vanilla from aged oak.
Black currants, dark cherries, oriental spices, dill and vanilla on the palate.
Quite long aftertaste.
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3/25/2023 - 007cellar wrote: flawed
Corked.
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3/17/2023 - djlimpio wrote:
Good to go. Absolutely singing with a very long runway.
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2/25/2023 - marco_graz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drunk next to Vina Bosconia 2010, it has an intense red color with garnet rim. At the nose it's earthy, ematic, with flowers but also undergrowth. Beautiful palate, intense, with lively tannins and nice acidity. Very pleasant and long finish.
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2/23/2023 - ohne_musik wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful nose of eucalyptus forest, earth and that unique sour cherry-coconut note that says old school Rioja. Takes an hour or so to wake up on the palate and flesh out. What unfurls is a medium bodied, impeccably balanced Tondonia, maybe slightly riper cherry fruit than many years, with sugared cranberries and orange peel, a discreet touch of integrated American oak, just a hint of VA, and overall elevated acidity. Slightly confected on the finish is the main detractor. Chalky tannins, mostly integrated, and structure suggest a Tondonia for the medium term (say, to 2033) rather than one for the ages like 2001 and 2004.
Holds up nicely on day 2 - more crystalline purity to the fruit (less sweet-sour, no confected note), with slightly less complexity and tannins that have fully melted.
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2/22/2023 - Hickey987 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great complex wine. Taste dark fruit up front with dry aftertaste. Really good wine.
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2/11/2023 - amateur62 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tempranillo (75%), Garnacho (15%), Graciano and Mazuelo (10%), spontaneous fermentation, 6 years aged in American oak, 13% vol.
Decanted an hour before dinner, but still improves in the glass. Superb nose with dark berries, sour cherries, forest floor and a suggestion of tar and roses, on the palate elegant, rather high acidity, nice bitter note, medium to full bodied and a long finish but slightly drying.
Was a tad more approachable two years ago, it is less on the fruit now. Seems as it enters now a more mature state and needs some more cellaring to get to full maturity, but this is criticism on a high level, 91+.
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2/4/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 94 Points
My impressions? Make no mistake, this is not a Cali wine, it is not for Bdx enthusiasts. It is uniquely Rioja from Spain. Much like what GolfWine says in their review below, minus the 84 score......a nice wine, with a bit of tart cherry. Secondary characters of leather, mushroom, etc. Pnp'd and enjoyed over 2 hours. By then it smoothed out considerably and the tart cherry deepened and evolved into more black cherry. Some slight tart red cherry remains but everything is smoother. This is a very interesting and pleasant wine. It seems I like it a bit more than others here on CT, do. Amazing product with amazing complexity/quality for the price. While certainly not for everyone's palate, I might could even give this one a 94 with another hour of air, we'll see.
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1/10/2023 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 84 Points
From a half bottle. On open very simple and sour cherries. After 45 min a well aged Rijo. The 375 are past their prime based on this bottle. Edges slightly orange/brown. Nose ripe red fruits and plum, drinking boysenberries, sour cherries, oak, leather, slightly astringent, long tart finish . If you got any 375s drink up now. I’d expect the 750s being at peak.
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12/28/2022 - Topper wrote: 92 Points
Saddle leather and cherry with a bit of saddle soap on the nose. Drinking nicely now.
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12/26/2022 - MaMinator Likes this wine: 91 Points
The classic tondonia for Christmas holidays.
In the beginning cherry, vanilla, and tobacco which gives way to iron, leather and a little darker berries. Caramel when peaking.
This is my third 2007 and it feels like the fruit is about to start to fade away.
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12/25/2022 - Bromie Likes this wine: 92 Points
From Magnum. Decanted 2 hours before. Cherry fruits with a little tannin. Nice and mature but suspect it will still get better over time
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12/11/2022 - Gerhard3 Likes this wine:
Tondonia tipicity, this combination of quite some wood - even with some hint of vanilla, but not in an overwhelming dosis-, medium volume, good acidity and fine-grained tannins. Still young, no hurry at all.
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12/7/2022 - Rallerboy888 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank with confit de canard and mash after 30 minutes in a decanter.
Drinking very well with a completely resolved tannin structure. Very appealing and approachable from the get go, and only got better with air. There's no rush to drink this, but I also don't see much improvement in the future, as the fruit is so charming now.
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11/18/2022 - thatsbabymakinwine Likes this wine: 90 Points
Indications of the maturity you’d expect from a wine with these credentials, and time in cask and bottle. The palate is still very alive in fruit, but harmonious, the oak and tannin being nicely integrated. It’s clearly a fine wine that also happens to be an easy drinker. It’s down to personal taste as to whether you prefer this, or the different style of the Ribera, in terms of how Tempranillo is represented.
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11/1/2022 - Caruso Likes this wine: 96 Points
Ruby to garnet with only a slight hint of orange hue in thin layers. From the start without airing it delivers a complex nose of red berries, cherries, plums, violets, old leather and books. The first sip is a little bit of work as the high acidity first seams a bit too much, but after that first sip, it shows a well balanced personality. Iron, red and black berries, vanilla, pepper. Great elegance and complexity which makes the difference to its already excellent entry level wine Cubillo. 5/13/18/10. -2030+ if perfectly cellared without much travelling since release.
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10/18/2022 - pinoteer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for two hours. Very tart--currant, cranberry, boysenberry flavors. Not what I expect for a Tempranillo-based wine. I expected black cherry and more silkiness, but maybe that will come with more time. Drank from a 375ml.
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9/29/2022 - frleon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nase eine Wolke von Balsam, Vanille, Salbei, Rose, Borke. Am Gaumen merklich angereift und doch noch fruchtig, fleischig, heftige Säure. Vor allem dafür wird es noch Zeit brauchen. Gut integriertes Holz, unheimlich langer Abgang.
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9/27/2022 - gallu wrote: 93 Points
93 Un clásico riojano en el mejor sentido de la palabra. Rubí ligeramente atejado. Nariz clásica, tostados, coco, buena fruta ácida. En boca ya está perfecto para beber, tanino muy suave, acidez perfecta, mucha clase. Muy accesible ya, jugoso, conjuntado. Un vino excelente.
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8/28/2022 - jonathanknowles Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bright red fruit, cranberry, leather, cedar. Juicy fruit acid in the mouth. Vanilla oak. Cool and fresh. Really delicious wine.
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6/23/2022 - Snoot Doggie Dogg Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is a well-established winery that has been around for 145 years and has quite a bit of history! From the website: “It all started in the middle of the nineteenth century when French negociants visited the Rioja region to find alternative sources of quality grapes to transform into wine, since the phylloxera epidemic had decimated their vineyards. Our founder, Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic student in the art of wine making, followed closely in their footsteps.
“Don Rafael fell in love with the region and especially the area around Haro, the mythical capital of the Rioja Alta region. He observed that there was a magical combination of soil and climate that would offer the perfect environment for producing wine that would eventually become world famous. Around 1877 he began the design and construction of the complex that is today known as the López de Heredia bodega (winery), the oldest in Haro and one of the first three houses in the Rioja region.”
This particular offering is a blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho, 5% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo, all from the winery’s estate vineyards.
Medium garnet in color, this wine is moderately aromatic with aromas of star anise, cocoa, coffee and black pepper. It also exhibits red and black fruit aromas, most notably ripe black plum and perhaps a prune characteristic, but they are muted upon the opening, perhaps as a result of ageing and needing some air. After letting the wine breathe for a bit, the black plum and prune characteristics unfold along with ripe red cherry, gaining in intensity and leaving an interesting mix of dark/red fruits, graphite and a bit of oaky vanilla. Upon sipping, one is met with a silky-smooth wine with moderate tannins and medium-high acidity. The attack features star anise, which is then followed by black plum, young blackberry, red raspberry, and fresh red cherry in the midpalate. These are accompanied by iron (oddly), graphite, potting soil and a smidge of dried herbs. The finish is very long, starting with red cherry and iron which gradually fade away into nothingness.
Overall an interesting wine! Full-bodied for a Rioja, and it seems it picked up some oxidative characteristics in its ageing that separate it from your typical Rioja. Due to its fully body, I could easily see this going well with a steak; it has the body and the tannin structure to stand up to a beefy dish. Filet mignon, anyone?
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6/18/2022 - Eric wrote:
ESTG does Rioja (West Seattle, WA, USA): Mmmm, just like the 2006, intense, iron, deep and dark.
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4/13/2022 - cos65 wrote: 90 Points
sb
From 375
Clear garnet.
Some roasted flavors suggested Rhone, but then a bone dry, grippy finish. This is a tasty if seeming a bit atypical LdH
YFS
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3/24/2022 - NiklasW Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for an hour, from a 375 ml bottle. The nose is quite lively, with savoury red fruits, cherry and a bit of bilberry and a hint of cinnamon. The palate shows minerally red fruit, with a touch of earthiness, salty cherries on the finish, good tannins. An elegant wine, in a juicy spot now with potential to develop further.
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3/17/2022 - Paul D wrote: 91 Points
RZ's Rioja Offline (Ariana II, Kilburn): Notes becoming a touch sparse at this point - dark, broody, tobacco, cool. Medium bodied, cool dark fruit, tobacco. Excellent, needs another 2-3 years.
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3/17/2022 - lozatron Likes this wine:
RZ's Rioja Dinner (Ariana II): Showed well! I understand this was a weak vintage in Rioja, and maybe will be drinking earlier than grander vintages - this is just starting to be enjoyable now but I think with another year or two will be in an even better place.
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3/15/2022 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
We opened this side-by-side with the 2008. By comparison, this was immediately more friendly/generous, with a pleasant hit/hint of creaminess and a pleasant suggestion of vanillin. But interestingly, within an hour, it became, like the 08, more reserved and subtle. Savory dark fruit, with suggestions of tobacco. Decent finish. Balanced and quite restrained. Very enjoyable over four nights, showing little degradation even at the end.
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3/12/2022 - sidaga Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beau bouquet, subtil, élégant, sur les fruits bruns comme la prune & les figues. Les épices sont bien intégrés au bouquet. Il y a un petit qqchose d'herbes séchés & un aspect terreus fort agréable. Belle ensemble invitant.
La bouche est élégante, en retenu & subtilité, sur la prune entre autre & d'autres fruits foncés. Les épices douces sont omniprésentes. Bonne acidité qui apporte une belle allonge. La finale est fort agréable, sur des petits fruits acidulés comme la canneberge entre autre. Fort agréable, tout est bien intégré!
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3/6/2022 - remyworldpeace Likes this wine: 92 Points
Orangey red and quite transparent.
Relatively subtle nose with oaky notes and some cherry. Palate medium bodied. Sour cherries and quite a dominant woody tertiary note with hints of vanilla from the oak too.
Much more a "classic Rioja" versus my other favourite, the LRA Ardanza (which overall I prefer despite both being great Riojas); less sweet red fruit and more woody/tobacco hints.
Not the most complex or multidimensional wine but very nicely structured and balanced. Tannins well integrated and this is drinking very well now, perhaps benefiting from a 30min decant. Good finish.
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3/5/2022 - Vancouver Likes this wine: 92 Points
Text book Rioja- fully mature and drinking great.
Drank over a busy Saturday dinner party so no formal tasting note. I will say that this will last another decade plus in a cold cellar.
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3/4/2022 - Tobinski wrote:
Lean and tart, with savory red fruit and a rather rigid texture. Borderline metallic notes on the finish. It’s strongest attribute is that it really cleansed the palate nicely when drunk with a rich Hungarian bean and ham hock soup. Clearly served to elevate the soup. Beyond that, I only found glimpses of inner charm that could not overcome the shrill exterior.
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2/28/2022 - El_Dougo wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured which is a mistake that’s on me. Weak nose and funky palate led to a quick decanting for moderately improved results. Paired with Rioja style pork chop that was a terrific combination.
Translucent Ruby light in body and in stain on the cork. Nose at peak 90 min after decanting was red fruit driven, cherry and even roses, and hints of vanilla. Palate did not match with a sour cherry tartness that was unexpected 2.5 hours later nose is gone but tartness remains.
Tannins are relaxed but would not have expected this is a 21 year old reserva wine. Short finish. Overall not a wine I am excited to go back at least in this vintage. I look forward to comparing to both a 2005 gran reserva 904 and also a 2015 Pintia that I will drink in the near future.
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2/4/2022 - oakville72 wrote: flawed
Corked. Funky. No fruit.
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2/1/2022 - joern_ribu Likes this wine: 92 Points
Interesting experience. There is plenty acidity and sour cherries on the nose and palate. The wine is still fresh, you would not recognize it's age, tannins are perfectly matured and woven in. I am not the biggest fan of such wines, I miss the warm and earthy note,s and it could be darker and more fruity for my taste. However, very nice wine, good to enjoy over the whole evening.
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1/31/2022 - jviz wrote: 90 Points
This vintage isn’t growing on me. This was quite a sound bottle but had a bit of roasted fruit tones on the nose and palate. It’s still quite youthful, in the sense that the wine is still reasonably compact, with bright acidity and low alcohol; even so, as I was tasting it, my mind went to the Southern Rhone, which is not what I’m looking for from LdH. I love this bottling in .375 for checking in and so far, favor 2008
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1/28/2022 - ssbelgo wrote: 90 Points
Vanilla on the nose. Tart, Sour cherry, good acidity. Light to medium bodied. Feels like it would be better with food
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1/19/2022 - Teaky Likes this wine:
Always a good wine, popped and poured from 375 over an hour, color was slightly brickish, nose slightly muted at first but after 15 minutes came out revealing cassis, dark fruits and a slight hint of dill, flavors were dark fruited, mildly tannic, low acidity, this is just a nice wine and tge flavors are difficult to describe but suffice it to say it has plenty of fruit with only a slight oak influence, very nice particularly for the price.
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1/15/2022 - drakegrad2003 wrote: 90 Points
Still packs a punch on the front end, tart cherries and iron, soft tannins. Will hold on to the next bottle for several more years to see if it balances out further, but enjoyable today.
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1/15/2022 - heidoanddave Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful classic old style Rioja
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1/8/2022 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Not nearly as open/ready as a bottle last July. Taut with some stringency in the tannins. Drunk over two hours and not much development in that time: HOLD.
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1/7/2022 - JFI wrote: 90 Points
Past peak?
- 37,5 cl bottle
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12/30/2021 - TNK wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for two hours. In a great place at the moment, rounded, earthy and a real pleasure.
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12/29/2021 - jkvedar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Sour cherry, wet rocks and vanilla on the nose. Needs food for sure, but the flip side is it is great with food. The feature that defines this characteristic is the acidity and mid-palate lightness/fruit drops off. I had it with chili, sour cream, and bread dipped in spicy olive oil. It was so much better with the food! The finish goes on and on. Others have compared to Burgundy or Barolo and I think those comparisons are appropriate .
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12/28/2021 - Exquisitewoman Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perfect for Christmas dinner and many different foods
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12/17/2021 - Lanzelot Likes this wine: 95 Points
Color: medium-deep ruby with little garnet reflexes / Nose: intense, dark cherries, ripe strawberries, little cigar box and menthol / Palate: high acidity, medium and very silky tannins, medium bodied, fantastic length, blackberries, redcurrant, coffee, earthy notes / Glass I used: Zalto Universal / Overall: A great classic produced Rioja. There are no heavy vanilla notes which I usually expect from a Rioja and which I don't like very much. This Rioja even has elements of a Burgundy or an elegant Nebbiolo. It is at a perfect stage but will have some years ahead of it. It is the first time that I tasted a wine from this producer. It blew me away. The wine is intense but extremely elegant at the same time. This Rioja is fresh, has a fantastic balance, is very precise and has a fantastic length. Just great!!! 9/10 (special plus for balance and length)
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12/8/2021 - AndreasMuc Likes this wine: 95 Points
Die Nase ist fein, dicht und konzentriert. Saftige rote Beeren, rote Kirsche, gut eingebundenes Holz und feine Tertiäraromen, Leder und Teer. Am Gaumen auch ganz deutlich Eisen. Total durchgegoren und trocken, aber jede Menge Extraktsüße. Feine Mineralik und geschliffenes Tannin, wird aber auch durch eine feine Säure zusammengehalten, die aber nicht so ausgeprägt und im Vordergrund ist wie beim Viña Bosconia des gleichen Erzeugers. Alles beieinander, nichts stört, sehr dicht und fein, wunderbar lang. Ärgere mich sehr, dass das meine letzte Flasche war, denn dieser Wein ist noch kein bisschen müde und hätte noch eine große Zukunft vor sich gehabt. Muss meine letzte Bewertung vom Vergleich Bosconia 2007 und Tondonia 2007 auch etwas zurücknehmen, dieser Wein ist doch noch mal etwas größer. (95)
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11/30/2021 - happyhyrax wrote: 92 Points
This has a lot of potential but it’s not settled yet. High acidity up front suggests this still has plenty of room to age. Lots of interesting tertiary flavors (oak, leather, forest floor, iodine, iron) and some fruit but needs more time to come together. Long finish. Chewy. Tannins are fine, drying the mouth. Exciting future ahead of it.
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11/27/2021 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 93 Points
Red cherries, iron, berries, and a hint of vanilla on the nose. Medium+ acidity with good tannic structure and bright berry notes, more cherries, and just a bit of raspberries towards the nice finish. Great wine, drinking well already but clearly with room to improve. 92-93++
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11/26/2021 - MNHill Likes this wine: 87 Points
Litt fyldigere enn 2008. Tipper den hadde smakt bedre om jeg hadde lagret den noen år til.
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11/25/2021 - MWiking wrote: 75 Points
inget vidare faktiskt, denna 375 flaska var over the hill med en del soya toner. inte så kul men dorckbart
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11/19/2021 - ashishnag Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bright red cherry fruit with high amounts of fresh acid rounding out the palate. Aftertaste of earthy, oaky notes with a medium finish. Super approachable.
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11/13/2021 - tobyc Likes this wine: 92 Points
Med intense herbal bouquet which also reveals that this is a matured wine. Soft w. mushrooms and leather and cigar box. Quite light body, med acidity and reduced tannins. Sour cherries, black currants and vanilla. Despite its age, very refreshing and juicy. Good length finish.
Keep or drink
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11/11/2021 - markcic Likes this wine: 88 Points
Decided to have a cheese course while watching TV so I opened a 375 and let it sit for an hour. Red fruit, leather, licorice and earth dominate the palate. The cheese was a good match and it was an enjoyable combination. Drinking it by itself not so enjoyable. It could be that I just do not appreciate this style of wine. I have had the 2008 last year and I was just not a fan. Probably just me.
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11/6/2021 - Invest wrote: 92 Points
PnP, 13% Alc., dark blood-red color.
Nose: Graphite, smoky, red fruit, classic Rioja, elegant.
Palate: Freshness, elegant, fine balanced fruit on the red and even black side, animating very good drinking flow, no wood recognizable, touch marzipan, nevertheless with structure. Gives very good uncomplicated drinking pleasure.
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10/31/2021 - rbfoote Likes this wine: 92 Points
Flavours predominantly red fruit - strawberry very noticeable. Accompanied by leather and earth. Considering the age, the fruit tones are still quite prevalent. Body is fairly light and flavours do dissipate fairly quickly. Definitely needs to pair with cheese or light appies.
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10/17/2021 - cdp1276 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really enhanced after 30 mins with some salty foods.
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10/10/2021 - Barsacpinci Likes this wine:
Definitely old school. Dirt and moss and
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10/8/2021 - NickNYC Likes this wine: 92 Points
drunk over 3 days. best the second day. needed some air to get smooth.
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9/26/2021 - MrTunaDavis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 45mins (coravin pour)
Nose: Rhubarb, Oak, Clay, Spice, Oak, Red Fruit
Color: Garnet with some solid bricking.
Medium body, medium (-) acid. Drinking fantastically now. Tannins starting to integrate nicely, very smooth. Rich fruit body, primary flavors still present. Red fruit, cherry, oak, nice finish. Not exceptionally long, but still delicious. For the price you can't beat it.
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9/20/2021 - randyjc wrote: 93 Points
Brilliant dark red in the glass. Nose of vanilla-spiced, dusty wood . A light, aged oak. Smooth mouth feel, soft cherry flavor until the finish, which is red-fruit spicy followed by vivid acidity carrying a lengthy finish with drying tannins in the end phase.
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9/19/2021 - StefanV Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice Rioja. Good balance and fraicheur. In integration phase. Still tannines present. At its peak in 3-5 years. Good finish. Looking forward to drink this in 2025. Still developing
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9/18/2021 - glassofhans Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good Rioja, good vanilla nose (classic rioja), with great acidity and fruity smoothness, yet complemented by a decent backbone and structure. Recommended
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9/12/2021 - Biskuit Likes this wine: 93 Points
From 375. Had the 05 a week ago and this one is actually feeling more integrated / ready. This one in a brilliant spot right now, love the balance of depth and a tingly acidity, so many layers of flavor, super smooth.
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9/5/2021 - Andybe wrote: 88 Points
Neither meat nor fish. Disappointing Rioja without a soul.
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8/4/2021 - finlero Likes this wine: 90 Points
If I were introducing someone to Rioja, this is the bottle I'd choose. Textbook green, red, and black notes, medium finish, moderate tannins. Less acidic than the '06, more balanced and ready to go. Excellent. Enjoy for at least the next decade.
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7/27/2021 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Not decanted in advance, but fairly ready at the get-go with ripe plummy red fruits and warm earth. Would like to give it more time to put the acidity in the back seat, but as-is no complaints. Great with a tomato paella.
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7/20/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
Expressive, earth and leather and smoke, hint of camphor, red berries and ripe red plums, creamy (almost buttery) texture, lovely freshness and mildly grippy tannins, firm finish with good length. For my palate, this is completely ready, but it will develop for another decade at least.
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7/16/2021 - bobbylion Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not quite there, but very good already. Acidity needs to integrate further. After that, a definite 92+. Had it slo oxing 5 hrs and then decanted for 30 min. This will go for 10 years at least and should get to its peak in 2-3 years.
Reminds of my AMA San Lorenzo for some reason. Totally different grapes…
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7/11/2021 - apple1813 Likes this wine: 91 Points
2007 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia was perfumed, layered and elegant. The maturing Rioja was clear and medium ruby colour without any sediments. Aromas of fresh red cherry, bramble, dill and dust jumped out of the glass, followed by toast, leather and earth.
The mouthfeel was dry and medium-bodied, balanced with medium-high level of fresh acidity and medium level of silky tannin. Flavours of forest berries, vanilla, mushroom and wet stone minerals persisted in a rather long, refined finish. The alcohol level was at 13%.
According to the winery official website, the blend composed of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho and the rest with Graciano and Mazuelo. It was aged in barrels for six years. About 200,000 bottles were produced.
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7/5/2021 - ppandian wrote: 90 Points
This Rioja is drinking very well. Soft base of tannins, restrained red fruits and well integrated.
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7/4/2021 - matiasox@gmail.com Likes this wine: 89 Points
solid Rioja. Smoke, raspberry, vanilla. Repeat on the palate. Well balanced, though I would give it a few more years for prime balance. Thin, medium tannins, long finish.
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6/26/2021 - bweber79 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Velvet tannins, medium acid, medium body/alcohol; dried cherries and plums, rose petal, dill, cedar, tobacco, crushed leaves…long finish and an outstanding wine.
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6/22/2021 - Dale M wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 6 hrs. Not much to add here – yep, pretty open for business and is likely at or near its adult form. And a charming form at that; ripe dark berries carry a hedonistic punch while still carrying the trademark LdH notes of mushroom and dusty brown sugar. Glad to have another but I’ll probably enjoy it over the next 5 years – I’m sure it will go much longer if needed.
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6/15/2021 - Tony Simo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another great wine from Lopez Heredia and a great value for a 2007. Still youthful with a little blackberry up front. Has plenty of earth and leather as well. Needs decanting, time and food
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5/15/2021 - Papies wrote: 90 Points
Very much a textbook wine, soft mocha, American oak, round and with a rich dark fruited core. Round and welcoming and drinks so easily :) AA very solid 90-91
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5/9/2021 - Caruso Likes this wine: 96 Points
Ruby with garnet hints and pink towards its edge. No decant. This is showing now first hints of maturity leaving his vanilla dominated past behind and becoming more and more complex and intense playing above of its pedigree. Elegant, complex and nuanced with great balance and lenght. It could be that the 96 points from the WA will seem quite conservative in a decade or so. For more detailed notes I refer to the note of TUDZ DRKL. 5/13+/18+/10. 96+ -2030+
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5/9/2021 - rossi.wine wrote: 90 Points
From magnum. Over dinner, no formal notes. Nicely balanced but a little thin. 89-91
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5/5/2021 - Haze78 wrote: 92 Points
Very oldschool, reminds me of some old Bordeaux with mushroom and forest soil aromas next to some dark fruit and a hint of vanille. It’s medium to light body, good acidity and only 13%abv. Lets see how it develops over the next day.
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5/4/2021 - Tudz Drkl Likes this wine:
Nose of black cherry, cigar box, spices, earth, cedar, red flowers and orange zest. The palate is a bright and focused acidity at the core surrounded closely by tart cherry and further out by darker, roasted and savory red fruits. The integration of these along with fine grained, round tannins result in a complex and satisfyingly integrated wine that is hard to put down. Simply delicious.
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5/3/2021 - sid_loves_wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
My first LdH. No decant, but followed evolution in bottle slowly over 24 hours. Difficult for me to rate in a number of ways- every time I came up with an opinion on any aspect of the wine, another differing opinion popped up that made me rethink. Beautiful, intense, delicious wine? Absolutely. Relatively overrated/cultish with somewhat questionable QPR? Possibly. Similar to other (much less expensive) Rioja Reserva? Yes. Unique or more memorable than less expensive Rioja Reserva? Also yes- for better or for worse. Does it already feel quite old and softened? Yes. Does it feel like it could theoretically age WAY longer? For sure. Killer nose? Oh yeah. Weird/disjointed palate? Yep. Etc...
Pungent nose, deep and rich- tricky to tell where the oak ends and the fruit begins. Feels like mostly oak to me, although the best kind of unapologetic American oak - loads of coconut, cedar, milky vanilla bean, cigar/pipe tobacco, little nuances of wild herbs and damp autumn leaves. Awesome stuff, but the fruit itself feels buried on the nose- sort of a baked plum or redcurrant thing going on, but focuses on the sweet oak. It's genuinely interesting to me that super-noticeable, fruit-burying oaky notes are often considered a negative trait by serious old-world wine lovers, but then almost all of them worship this wine.
By contrast, the palate feels mostly about the fruit; it all feels like dried fruit to me. Dried cherry, dried cranberry, some tart red plum or underripe red mulberry. Super bright after a dark and oaky nose, but not really "lively" either. Lots of acidity that feels SUPER tart and puckery, good energy but not super well integrated (?), and a HUGE wash of dusty, chewy tannin that essentially lingers forever after swallowing, making the finish really harsh without food (and still relatively harsh with food.)
Usually I like more of a "fresh" fruit thing in wine, either really bright and juicy red fruit or extremely deep black fruit- this didn't really feel either refreshing/elegant nor particularly rich, so I'm not sure what to make of it. Awesome oak and interesting complexity, but definitely not more than the sum of its parts. It's possible that it needs to age far longer, as it might coalesce into something stunning - although I can't help but wonder what this tasted like when younger, when the fruit was a little more present (and as they release their wines so late, I'm not sure I'll ever know.) Would be unreal at the "usual" Rioja Reserva price of $25-$40. It's more often $60-$70, buuuut it might be particularly age-worthy. Thanks for reading my long note.
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5/1/2021 - maxima wrote: 90 Points
C'est assez harmonieux comme ensemble.
Le fruit est à l'avant-plan, des cerises surtout avec
un peu de bleuets et de poivre.
Les tannins sont charnus et la finale bien longue
nous laisse avec une petite impression de sucre.
Très bon.
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4/22/2021 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful Tondonia. Fully resolved - texture is smooth as butter, anything that came from the oak is all the way absorbed. The fruit still has some sweetness to it but is advanced to the usual autumnal tones with hints of leather and cigar smoke.
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4/18/2021 - Escher Cellars wrote: 87 Points
I was so looking forward to this bottle, hoping it would provide more of a Gran Reserva feel than a light Crianza. But alas, it was middle of the road. Great QPR but generally light, underwhelming and nothing notable when showcased as a Magnum. Pretty bottle, no substance. Cheers.
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4/13/2021 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 93 Points
The 2007 Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia is showing well, bursting with rich aromas of dark berry fruit, spices, vanilla pod and subtle hints of the tertiary complexity to come. Medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, with bright girdling acids and fine tannins, this is the ripest Tondonia of the decade so far, but remains beautifully balanced in its somewhat more muscular style.
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4/10/2021 - GonzaloManzaneda Likes this wine: 95 Points
Qué bueno, qué finura; qué sutileza.
Nariz clásica, poco exuberante pero fina. Tabaco de pipa, flores, a las 20h abierto le noto mazuelo.
Boca con tanino muy pulido, listo para beber pero no hay necesidad de correr.
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4/9/2021 - macaujames Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP a 90/91. It is a typical 2007 it is a bit austere. However the Bosconia 2007 was really and even more impressive. This has typical a bit muted aromas of leather, iron, blackberries, forest fruits, vanilla hints and raspberries. Its medium bodied a bit linear and austere black and blue fruits palate has vaniila hints, lovely acidity and good length. I think this needs aeration and will improve for 5-10 years. 13%. I salute Prince Phillips life! On day 2 fines up and gains length.
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4/4/2021 - peternelson Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still youthful, very well-balanced, slight oak note but with perfect touch, medium bodied, mod. tannins, not perfect but OK with roasted chicken (after the Chard). W/M&D @ B's
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4/2/2021 - streethawk Likes this wine: 93 Points
First time tasting since visit to the winery in 2019. Seems to have shut down since then, as the nose is a little muted. Nevertheless, a wonderfully unique terroir wine with notes of leather, earth, cherries. Mid ruby. Excellent acidity and wonderful length. Elegant and Burgundian in character. I plan on waiting some years before approaching this vintage once more.
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3/31/2021 - PTFighter wrote: 80 Points
Elegant and smooth
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3/19/2021 - J'agnes Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice garnet in the centre with a brick red coming on the rim. Old school Rioja on the nose with well evolved American oak. Palate is mature slightly stewed strawberry with a hint of black pepper - tremendous acidity and front facing fine tannins give a long, long finish.
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3/12/2021 - asgerG wrote: 93 Points
PnP. Consistent
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3/8/2021 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 90 Points
Can you believe I was in Haro in 2013 and coudnt get a tour here? It was harvest time and we got one at Muga so I cant be too sad. 75% temp 15% garnacho 5% graciano and 5% mazuelo which seems weirdly consistent across vintages. Compared to the 2001, 2004, and 2005 this is inferior. But those were amazing vintages and this is still 'young". This isnt about fruit but more about earth and leather. The first glass from p&p was off so seriously give this a decant or air. A beautiful wine from a beautiful place in this world.
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3/8/2021 - galewskj wrote:
I had the brilliant idea of serving this with tuna poke, thinking that a light and somewhat acidic red would go with tuna poke. It does not. And so I'm not scoring this because it would have been better under more beneficial circumstances. I was surprised by the acidity of this, and I will wait 2+ years before I open another bottle in hopes that the acidity calms down. And drink it with rich pasta or meat.
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3/6/2021 - Barsacpinci Likes this wine:
Highly perfumed. Lots of wonderful floral notes in nose. Dark bing cherry color. Red fruit galore on palate. A beautiful wine. I must buy more. Drank from. 375ml
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3/2/2021 - 10xM Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mar 2: coravin. Garnet with light brownish outter rim. Now, I dont know why but I was getting slight smell of cummin. It was so subtle that it made the wine more interesting. There has smell of cherries as well.
Palate of bright cherries with lots of acid that shows this is still very young after 14 years of vintage. Long lingering length. This definitely has aging potential. I would love to try one that has been aged 30 to 40 years.
This is a wine that is good with food or alone but better with food due to its acidic character at this "young" age. Very good wine.
Apr 3: I had 1 glass left over from Mar 2nd bottle. The bottle was vacuumed sucked closed. The wine waa still fresh. Acid, smoke, black peppery goodness. I really love this wine.
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2/28/2021 - amateur62 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened, tried a sip and decanted it for about 4 hours. Plum, red berries, a hint of fresh moss and slightly earthy, bright, fresh and elegant, medium bodied, long finish. Great food wine but also very good on its own. Ready to drink, will be interesting to follow it over the next two decades, it's a joy to drink these very traditionally made beauties. Decanting does not harm but is also not a need.
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2/14/2021 - Zeitoun Likes this wine: 91 Points
Brick colored with light sediment in the bottle. Smelled like red currant and plum and tasted like dust and oak. The body is medium/full with silky texture. Medium finish with has high acidity. Enjoyable and easy to drink.
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2/12/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
An elegant and precise expression of the Tondonia style. Beautifully bright and fresh core, crisp cherry fruit and a hint of plum, intense aromas of leather, cigar, wood smoke and earth, medium-bodied, finely woven tannins, very good resonance and length. Excellent now and with many years ahead.
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2/6/2021 - canan wrote: 92 Points
Classic and rustic in a very good way.
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1/31/2021 - jviz wrote: 93 Points
3rd of 6 half bottles. This was the best of the bunch to date by a wide margin. Very clean and expressive, with good earthiness and bright red plum on the nose. Compact berries with fresh acidity and a backbone of dried herbs like oregano and bay leaf. It harkens of a well made bordeaux and drinks astoundingly younger than 2007. Good bottles have many miles to go
Update: I poured 4.5 oz of this into a glass container and capped it with no headspace. Revisited 4 days later. With whatever aeration took place, the wine is showing more mulled plum and roasted notes than before. Still with good supporting acidity but this was best on day 1 for me
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1/27/2021 - B&PBaker Does not like this wine: 84 Points
Whoever called this "underwhelming" hit it right on the nose. Pleasant muted finish, but that's about it.
Nothing bad, but nothing good either.
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1/19/2021 - Callum's Corkers Likes this wine: 96 Points
Christmas gift received 2020
Flat-bottom decanted and swirled several times 3pm, had with poached beef rolled brisket dinner 7pm. Kitchen temperature.
Dry near-mature smokey classy and serious Rioja with plenty of personality. Liked it very much.
N.....gentle impressions that brood to medium intensity of...smokey barrels, saddle room, molasses, liqourice, cold stewed dark plums, broken dark bitter cooking chocolate, some spices.
C....light red, fading at edge, doesn't look tawny mature Rioja yet
T....Very dry and feels more d Foodie style than an All-nighter, maybe not yet properly saddle-bite mature Rioja but close to it at 14 yrd old, drinking very well right now anyway so why keep any longer? Medium body, inky concentration in texture; some tar, some baccy, some dry leather, some burnt toffee, some plum fruit coulis, brown sugar. Fine grained tannins, just a touch grippy.
VFM?....feels like a £30 wine. Drink up, it's well ready.
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1/16/2021 - macaujames Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP a 91. It has typical but a little closed aromas of barnyard, door polish, bricks, leather, clay, raspberries, vanilla hints and mulberries. Its juicy medium bodied linear yet nicely concentrated and a bit chewy palate has an excellent layered and nicely oaked decently opulent vanilla flecked refreshing blue and red fruits middle which ends long, zingy and tapering. 13%. Much better value at this quality level than what I had tasted previously. Lay down 5-10 years+.
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1/15/2021 - andydnyc Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Nice, leathery aromatics but little fruit to taste. Rather a rusty taste. Dusty. I couldn't finish this.
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1/9/2021 - Costes76 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Medium deep ruby with a tawny tinge. Tart red cherry and black berry with a slightly musty and leathery edge. Full acidity and grippy tannins. Sharp finish that throws it a bit off balance.
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12/28/2020 - PhillyVine2112 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasty but a little underwhelming. Red fruit, dried flowers, and minerality on a shy nose. Cherries, cranberries, and bright acidity on a juicy and refreshing palate. Medium body and fine tannins. Get the sense that this wine is just waking up and will take on weight as it ages.
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12/27/2020 - daveste Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank over 4 days, good to the end. Grand w red meat or spicy food. Not a lot of fruit but excellent aroma and overall balance. Will keep.
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12/26/2020 - Pontifax Likes this wine: 91 Points
Arguably the most complex old world style Rioja still produced....final " orphan " half- bottle from our cellar inventory.
On nose: intense oak, vanilla and barley sugar.
On palate: follow through of above flavours, in addition to tart cassis, coffee, carmelized blackberries , high quality balsamic , cranberries , fresh sage, a ghost of bay leaf and cherry pit and damp earth.
Decanted for 3 hours ...served with Smithfield Ham, winter vegetables and roast potatoes ....can easily age and soften , for another 10 years.....may rate 93+ at a later date of maturity.
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12/18/2020 - Manuaia wrote: 89 Points
Cherry, pomegranate, tea, iron, dried roses and a delicious freshness about it. Barley a hint of VA that blew off after an hour. The wine could really benefit from a few hours in a decanter. Seems to be in a dumb phase right now All the pieces are there but they are not talking to each other. Perhaps the wine needs to be decanted for 5-6 hours
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12/17/2020 - MJMcCarthy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Smooth and well balanced. Mature, red fruit on the attack and mid-palette, and a well developed finish.
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12/12/2020 - danielsjones01 wrote:
Ruby in the glass. Cedar, spices—sharp nose. Tart cherries, earthy tannins. Strong finish.
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12/9/2020 - heidoanddave Likes this wine: 91 Points
We did a side by side with the 2004 and preferred the 2004. But still a great Rioja. see prior tasting notes.
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12/7/2020 - SPLJEG Likes this wine: 92 Points
The wine looks garnet colored. The body is medium/full. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has high acidity.
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12/5/2020 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted but no sediment. Lovely colour of full ruby with a blood orange rim. Very fresh and young nose of vanilla, wild strawberry, high quality milk chocolate, black raspberry and light mulling spices. With time more dark berries, cedar and tar emerge. So smooth on the palate! Effortless and weightless. Medium bodied. Similar bright land dark red fruit flavours with goji berry, but less spice. Not at all sweet. Really nice, clean acidity just shy of being tart. No hide nor hair of tannin. Sappy finish that is crunchy red berry fruit. Nice long finish.
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11/30/2020 - ieatprawnsss Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consistent with previous note
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11/24/2020 - HWG99 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Finally, had some quality time with this wine alone. Great aroma with mixed of different fruits and berries mixed with oak and cigar. Medium to full body on the palate, very smooth and classic Tondonia, enjoyable. Long sour plum finishing was definitely made it remarkable. Such a great and good value wine.
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11/24/2020 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for about an hour, this was quite pleasant indeed. The nose was quite classic Tondonia, with notes of sweet berries backed up by more bassy aromas of earth, meat and nice Tempranillo drifts of menthol and cigarette smoke. The palate was exactly what you would want from a Riserva of this range, with velvet tannins and fresh acidity framing yummy flavours of black cherries, lively red berries, and little notes of smoky spice, these curling around a core of sour cherries in a perky finish. Not crazy complex, but a delightful wine nonetheless, drinking very yummily now. Not one for aging, but why wait.
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11/21/2020 - MattMauldin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted. Medium-ruby color, lightens at the edges. Secondary aromas of worn leather, thyme, hints of clove, tea & pressed violet, with currant fruit. Lively pomegranate and raspberry fruit on the palate, with hints of balsamic reduction and integrated depth of bay leaf, dill and dried flowers. Medium-bodied and accessible, with alluring elegance and presence. Ample acidity, well-integrated, with plush rounded tannins, finishing dry and juicy with solid depth. Secondary stage, drinking very well. I would buy again and hold a little longer to see where it goes, but seems to be in its drinking window now.
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11/21/2020 - Kriz wrote: 89 Points
I like it. Classic. Nose with oak, tobacco, fresh cut wood and ripe black fruit. Nice palate with good acidity which makes the wine balanced and not too big.
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11/11/2020 - ieatprawnsss Likes this wine: 91 Points
Agree with other notes - good LdH but not perhaps worth the mid 90s scores. There's more body and substance here than a typical vintage, but it is a little duller with less pronounced acidity. Could use 5 years or so to round off more, but as with most LdH bottles it's already very enjoyable now.
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11/7/2020 - DeuceMcgee Likes this wine:
Nose of cranberry, cherry, dill, tobacco and leather. Similar palate with notes of umami as well. Great acidity and tannin for a 13yo wine. Plenty of life left.
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10/31/2020 - Motz wrote: 91 Points
Not the equal of other recent vintages and somewhat dense by LdH standards, a touch hamfisted, if you will. Most notably, the wine lacks the producer's signature, high-pitched freshness. Instead, it shows more purple fruits than red, backed by only medium acid.
Technically excellent and certainly enjoyable. The mid 90s pro scores are off the mark though. 90-91.
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10/31/2020 - HWG99 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great wine. Very nice to drink now.
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10/31/2020 - RD59 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Ready to drink, finesse, a little lighter than I expected. Nice wine but disappointing given the reviews
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10/30/2020 - asgerG wrote: 93 Points
Dn1h. Wonderfully harmonious classic old School Rioja. Drink now - 2026
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10/27/2020 - Livonietisr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Clear ruby red with minimal bricking. Aromas of sweet cherries, raisins, leather, tobacco. Dry. Medium+ acidity. Balanced tanins, medium+ aftertaste.
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10/11/2020 - hoservin wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Nose of cherry, currant, tobacco leaf and dried herbs. Black and red fruit, herbs and drying tannins on the palate. Long finish. Medium to full bodied. Served with meatless meatballs and red pepper sauce.
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10/1/2020 - Nobody does it better wrote:
PO liked it with food but I did not
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9/24/2020 - wineforth Likes this wine: 90 Points
Strawberry nose when decanting back into the bottle. Later complex savoury notes, leather and cedar. Well balanced and good long finish. The 2001 took 17 years to peak and and improved fast over the last 5 of those years. I expect this to do the same and peak in 2024. Drinking beautifully now though.
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9/23/2020 - Alykhan V Likes this wine: 90 Points
Lean on palate, not overripe. Quite closed off even after time in decanter. The most noticeable aroma by far was from the oak — cedar especially. This was a pure expression of cedar. But it lacked both obvious fruit as well as tertiary notes
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9/20/2020 - europat55 wrote: 90 Points
Excellent to outstanding nose (B++/A-). Good palate (B+).
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9/20/2020 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Fresh, rich nose (A-). Somewhat thin palate (B+/B++). Tasted blind.
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9/19/2020 - wcliao Likes this wine:
good smoothly taste
tannic age beautifully
smell good and fresh
too sad to have little time to dive into details
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9/16/2020 - barrkel wrote: 88 Points
From half bottle. Quite acidic, a little thin, hint of musty cellar but not enough to call it flawed and the same as the previous bottle. It's OK. It's not a treat and if it was a full bottle I probably wouldn't finish it.
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9/9/2020 - Ashloveswine wrote:
Minimum 2 hour decant before drinking.
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9/1/2020 - DaleW wrote:
I had decanted several hours in advance, great nose at that time, a bit more reserved at Zoom time. Fairly firm tannins, though the lamb chops help with that. Black cherry and black raspberry, a light hint of coconut, some cedary/cigarbox notes with time. Joe had decanted his 8 hours in advance and was pleased, mine was at best at end of night (7 hours after opening). Hold B+/B
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8/31/2020 - dream wrote: 88 Points
A very deeply flavored vintage of this wine that remains quite structured even after a 4-hour decant! Such a beautifully silky texture with classic dark cherry and earthy flavors along with notes of tobacco and spices. The finish is very firm and tight suggesting too much heat in the vintage making the tannins just too strict or it needs more time. 88?
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8/23/2020 - RichardP wrote: 90 Points
This is a classic Rioja, with strawberry and something earthy on the nose, and dried cherry, prune, and notes of coconut, dill, and leather on the medium finish, with light tannins and strong acidity. This is more elegant than powerful, and it should improve for some years. It was a very good value at about $40.
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8/18/2020 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic savory, mineral character. Aromas of tobacco, coconut, dill, and sour cherry. Like good Chianti Classico on the palate — savory with a balsamic acidity. I like this style of wine and think it pairs better with food than most red wines.
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8/17/2020 - brooklynguy wrote:
A nice version of this wine. The nose is a bit jerky with elements of coconut and suntan lotion that I assume are a product of the particular oak used. But the fruit underneath seems lovely. It's hard to discern much about this wine, really, except that it seems at this very young age to be a correct and true example of what Rioja from this producer is like. It doesn't drink badly now, but if it is to be a great wine, that will not be evident for quite some time.
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8/12/2020 - Montesquieu wrote: 89 Points
For the price and age, I expected more. This is a very dry (lacking sweetness) wine of moderate weight and depth. We drank without food accompaniment, which might have helped it as a complement. I like aged Temperanillo, but this didn't yet offer the secondary flavors of long age. Don't know what it can become with even more time; my rating reflects my impression today.
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8/8/2020 - matage Likes this wine: 90 Points
Needs a decant and/or more time. Felt rather young still
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8/8/2020 - Poll86 wrote:
Classic Tondonia nose of fennel, dill and coconut. Fresh dark red fruits with cooked spices and nice smooth tannins, balanced with a fresh acidity. Great now but will only get better
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8/5/2020 - Rallerboy888 Likes this wine:
This took a while to really open up as I didn't decant. It started to really shine around 4-5 hours after opening. This is great, and a lovely, elegant style. Not at all as vulgar as the typical vanilla bombs, but instead full of red fruit, tobacco, and beginning tertiary notes. This is great now, and still has many years to go.
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8/3/2020 - mlburditt Likes this wine: 89 Points
2 hour decant. Brick red at the edges, aroma of leather, mild tobacco. Red fruits (mainly cherry), mild acidity, longish finish. Lacked a complexity I anticipated and overall left me a little disappointed, I expected a little more. Still pleasant and drinkable nonetheless.
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7/28/2020 - KJD45$ Likes this wine: 86 Points
I agree with all of the other mediocre reviews..
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7/25/2020 - vandal16 wrote: 91 Points
Classic 4 grape Rioja blend. Vibrant red color with a brick edge. Aromas and flavors of dried berries, vanilla, leather and tobacco. Earthy finish. Dusty tannins.
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7/24/2020 - JRockEsq Likes this wine: 84 Points
Method: blind; 68 degrees; Cab glass
Look: Medium garnet, with more of a light red/brick color towards the edge; medium+ amount of medium speed and slower legs
Nose: tomato, light balsamic, dill, bit of dried strawberry
Palate: Fresh strawberry, cherry, light chocolate, sweet tobacco, light iron/meat blood; medium+ finish of earth, tart cherry/cranberry, light herb; dry; medium rough tannin; medium+ acidity; light+ body; smooth mouthfeel
I found this to be better, maybe significantly so, on day 3, but I didn't take any notes then, so I'm reviewing this off of day 1.
Overall: This is a good, balanced wine, but it's a bit light for me and I was hoping for more complexity. I think there's some upside with aging, but right now it's good but nothing special for me.
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7/22/2020 - heidoanddave Likes this wine: 92 Points
A fabulous Rioja. See prior tasting note.
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7/21/2020 - barrkel Likes this wine: 89 Points
From a half bottle. This is interesting. There's a substantial depth of flavour, though it has a lot of acidity. In some ways it's suggestive of a madeira or port, but without the sweetness or fortification. A lot of oak, some oxidised notes, along with strawberry and vanilla. There also seems to be a hint of TCA in the bottle, detectable as a kind of damp musty cellar note, which becomes more insistent after a couple of hours, but it doesn't ruin the experience.
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7/17/2020 - sidaga Likes this wine: 92 Points
Robe cerise avec pourtour légèrement brunâtre;
Nez fort agréable, amples, avec une impression de léger "fondu" des notes de cassis, de prune, les figues, finement boisé & épicée. Légère impression anisé. Ensemble harmonieux & invitant.
Bouche principalement sur un fruité légèrement compoté, dense & foncé (cassis & pruneaux), bien supporté par une bonne acidité qui apporte une bonne fraîcheur. Finale longue, sur les épices & un retour sur les pruneaux. Boisé légèrement perceptible & fort agréable. Ensemble harmonieux & très bien équilibré. Excellent!
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7/10/2020 - Barnaby33 wrote:
Ten minutes after opening, nose is tangy and citrusu. Palette is tight with a hint of green. At first I'd have guessed tannic acidic cab. Hopefully it opens up with air. 2 hours later, it's just green. Nobody enjoyed this and a real let down for what is normally my favorite producer in Spain.
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7/9/2020 - rc@ughey wrote: 90 Points
Consistent with prior note. Two bottles over a couple weeks.
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7/9/2020 - rc@ughey wrote: 90 Points
Balanced and complex with dark fruits, dried herbs, and layers of depth -- a classic Tondonia. The oak is pretty pronounced, and this needs time, but it's a great QPR now and it has a bright future.
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7/7/2020 - Motz wrote: 91 Points
Replacement for the corked bottle.
Tasted twice.
Tangy and tart red fruits, loam, and a healthy dollop of oak. Unmistakably Rioja, though less so LdH. Also, somewhat lean for Tondonia, and seemingly lacking the latent power and terroir markers that typify Gran Reserva. It sports medium plus acid, but whether the wine packs the substance to age well remains an open question. Technically excellent, though generally uninspiring.
The 2006 vintage outshines it, at least at present. It also lacks the appeal, bouquet and taste profile, of the same vintage Bosconia.
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7/2/2020 - irvingn Likes this wine: 90 Points
This wine is great but right now it's just showing hints of vibrance. The structure is there. Gripping tannins and acidity racing on the finish. We decanted and drank over 3 hours. It evolved nicely showing it's potential, but honestly I wouldn't open this for 3-5 more years. I think it will integrate much more consistently in the coming years. Great wine just needs time.
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6/26/2020 - jviz wrote: 92 Points
My last bottle was corked, but when this is on, it’s really on! Not nearly as rustic or advanced as the 2006, yet it is full of character, with red to rust colored fruits with leather and spice. Just the tiniest bit of rubber on the nose (hope it isn’t trace TCA) with firm acidity and soft structure makes me think this is a 10 year wine. Santé
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6/21/2020 - Motz wrote: flawed
Serious TCA!
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6/18/2020 - awever Likes this wine: 90 Points
Noch sehr jugendlich, internationaler als erwartet, es fehlen die typischen Vanillenoten, sicherlich ein Langstreckenläufer
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6/15/2020 - _Alex_ Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dekantert og luftet i 2 timer. Dyp granatrød med et tynt modningsskjær i kanten. Moden, varm og lett sødmefull rød frukt sammen med et tydelig fatpreg som er godt integrert. Jordbær, kirsebær og kanskje litt bringebær. Fint bearbeidet tretoner. Behagelig og fuktig amerikansk tobakk. Litt lærtoner som begynner å komme frem. Kraftig og godt konsentrert med god friskhet og fine, nedslipte tanniner som smelter. Bra match til grillet gris!
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6/11/2020 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 92 Points
This is certainly a fresher, brighter expression than the 2004 / 2005. Lots of bright red fruits on the nose and gripping acidity on the finish. Far less brooding than previous iterations but still definitely a Tondonia, as this wine always is. Even more than other vintages of Tondonia, I would completely understand people not liking this wine but I love it. Still plenty of structure for this to develop further.
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6/8/2020 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
A relatively generous and charming, elegant Tondonia, more so than e.g. the 2003, 2004 and 2006. It reminds me of the excellent 2001. Has entered its plateau of maturity and seems to have the fruit and balance for another two decades of beneficial development. Drink now - 2037.
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6/6/2020 - jviz wrote: flawed
Badly corked
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5/29/2020 - ludwigbpm wrote: 93 Points
Nez de griottes, d’herbes et d’épices. Bouche vive, rectiligne avec une acidité assez prononcée. Encore un bébé après 13 ans, tannique et présentant de fins arômes liés à l’élevage sans être omniprésents. Un Tondonia pour les prochains 20 ans.
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5/26/2020 - Psdycp wrote: 89 Points
Fragrant and subtle nose of black cherries, savoury sage and crushed almond, surrounded by river stones, vanilla, dark chocolate and old leather. Nose does not have the popular delicious factor here, which is a good thing as it expressed the environment where it was from without much make-up. Palate had rather high level of acidity and minerality running through the entire length, not as elegant, deep and smooth like the 2005 vintage. Much of the fruit and spice elements are hidden behind the opaque but medium bodied structure. Finish is somewhat short and one dimensional with a hint of bitter tannins at the very end. Maybe a few more years in the bottle might help to open up the wine more if the fruit element could hold. Those who like the acidity of the sour cherries and dry minerality than rich fruits and fragrant spices will like this Rioja. Overall this vintage was a step down compared to the 2005 vintage.
Retasted in Mar 2022, not much has changed since the last tasting. It has reached the peak and will not improve anymore.
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5/19/2020 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 90 Points
From half bottle. Ready to drink on open. Nose, kirsch, almond, new leather, hot cherry compote, ripe plum, sherry liquor, ripe strawberries, red twizzlers, lavender, (very thick legs in the glass) nose on the sweeter and hot side. I know this was a cold year but it comes across as a hot year on the nose. It’s a hard wine to place, in the first second it comes across like a much older wine, almost something aged Bordeaux like about it. Drinking. Red and fresh (a bit mouthwatering) , rhubarb, lavender, intense red cherries, long rich finish that reminds me of a cherry liquor, a little chalky drying finish on the gums, silky smooth though, taste zero oak. Drinking more like a cold year wine.. Went very good with our Spanish dinner. A great food wine and good on its own. The 375’s are ready to drink! Cheers !
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5/18/2020 - heidoanddave wrote: 91 Points
It is consistently a great Rioja. Not a lot on the nose but smell red berrys and a bit of earth and maybe vanilla, or maybe I think i do because there is oak in the wine. I taste cherry, with hints of vanilla and spice from the oak followed by waves of acidity and smooth tannins and earth that screams to me good Rioja. Enough tannins that tell me that tomorrow will be better than today for this bottle and that the next bottle should probably stay in the cellar for a bit. I also get the sense of flat but delicious vanilla cherry coke.
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5/18/2020 - jkvedar Likes this wine: 91 Points
Popped and poured. Vanilla, some leather, tobacco on the nose. Acidity jumps out on the palate. Great food wine. Very little tannin, mostly on the sides of the tongue. Again, acidity dominates on the palate.
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5/17/2020 - Altiplano Likes this wine: 95 Points
Simply elegant. Needs no air time. Drink when uncorked. Great fruit, sublime acid and smooth throughout the palate.
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5/16/2020 - Opus 52 Likes this wine: 91 Points
At first quite oaky, but after two hours of decanting, the wine opens. The nose is very seductive: sweet fruit accompanied by vanilla, leather and tobacco notes. Very nice. On the palate with a medium body and a quite decent acidity. Almost too much for me. Pleasant tannins considering the 6 yrs. barrel maturation. Medium finish, slightly bitter aftertaste? Overall a very nice classical Rioja wine, which is definitely already drinkable. Should still improve in the coming years. Nevertheless: Considering the high pro reviews I expected even more. 91+
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5/15/2020 - EricKnick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dried cherry, oak, leather. Smooth finish with mellow tannins.
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5/15/2020 - abc55 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Temmelig lukket? Ret anonym næse med lidt vanilje. Støvede hindbær, sure kirsebær og rust i munden. Høj syre og medium garvesyre
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4/30/2020 - macaujames wrote: 89 Points
88/89. One glass. Still closed yet improves in the glass but is too young with still not much heft, some vanilla hints, highish acidity and a shortish finish. 13%. This is good but not worth 30 Euros at the moment. Lay down 5 years+.
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4/29/2020 - RWG Likes this wine: 89 Points
Lovely rioja as always. Better on night 2. pencil shavings, dusty raspberries, :)
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4/29/2020 - djlimpio wrote:
Pretty well shut down for now. 2-3 hours in, still not much on offer.
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4/25/2020 - Blauweiss Likes this wine: 89 Points
Good classic Rioja, but perhaps the oak was a bit too dominant in this one.
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4/24/2020 - HillbillyWE Likes this wine: 93 Points
Crimson with garnet at the rim. Cherry, baking spices and vanilla on the nose. Loads of tannins and acid with cherry on the attack, mid-palate and finish, which is long and satisfying. A bit intense still and needs to be opened at least a couple of hours before drinking, but will age beautifully. A unique expression of Rioja, probably due to the addition of Graciano and Mazuelo (5% each), that can be enjoyed now or for a decade or more into the future. It is an interesting counterpoint to the magnificent and oh-so-polished 2010 Vina Ardanza Reserva Seleccion Especial, with finesse being the calling card for the Vina Ardanza, while verve and intensity mark the experience of drinking the Heredia.
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3/31/2020 - pbaek wrote:
Too young, but plenty to be happy about here. Lovely dark fruited with notes of flowers and just a hint of chocolate from the oak. The fruit needs to settle down just a bit and over time, this will be a great Tondonia.
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3/30/2020 - Cjs578 wrote: 88 Points
Underwhelmed.
Sadly my thoughts echo so many on here. Lots there but all background and makes the wine feel very thin with the American Oak being the main influence. Not sure there's many more years left in this.
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3/22/2020 - Meer Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very aromatic scent like. Fresh acidic fruit (raspberries) taste. After breathing, pepper like smell and bit of oak. Crisp and mouth watering from acidity.
Not a lot of body.
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3/14/2020 - macaujames Likes this wine: 89 Points
Half Bottle. Had 3hrs aeration. Still very closed. Has typical aromas of irony, earthy, raspberries, vanilla hints and blackberries. Its bracing red and black fruits medium bodied palate has a nice texture, low oak and ends mediumish + zingy. 13%. Will give this 6hrs aeration an wait and see!
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3/11/2020 - kstoddard wrote:
Not a fan
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3/7/2020 - JCG(H) wrote: 89 Points
i found this rather light and acidic right after opening. Decanting helped a lot. Still I am not sure why the sommelier at The Harwood and the many critics love this so much
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2/22/2020 - DoubleMagnum wrote: 90 Points
Deep, dark and complex. Still on the early stages. Good stuff.
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2/15/2020 - wardamnwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nicely aged Tempranillo blend from great producer in Rioja!
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2/13/2020 - johnnylaw1222 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fantastic wine. Deep garnet. A nose of tbacco, dark fruit, vanilla, and rhubarb. A chewy, potent, and beautiful palate follows. Cherry, cranberry, currant and kirsch are accompanied by touches of leather and tobacco. A long finish with relatively potent tannins. Drinking well now and will continue to drink well for decades to come
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2/12/2020 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 89 Points
The acid is a bit jarring on the finish, even after serious breathing.
These Tondonia’s seem to be getting fresher (less musty old oak) but still old school.
13%, cork
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2/6/2020 - thesternowl Likes this wine: 91 Points
I’m always excited to try a new vintage of Tondonia and earlier this week, I got to try the 2007 for the first time. A significant departure from the 2006 which was (and remains currently) open for business with very little coaxing, the 2007 is austere and loaded with VA. Some aggressive decanting was able to get the VA to blow off and slowly but surely it started to open up, revealing some high quality and seriously dark cherry fruit. A heady, serious wine that needs loads of patience right now if this bottle is representative. Hold or decant for 24 hours.
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2/2/2020 - zzaj Likes this wine: 85 Points
Below expectation.
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1/26/2020 - Rixon Likes this wine: 89 Points
På det hela taget en bra rioja. Dock upplever jag att denna jämfört med andra årgångar jag testat har en väsentligt högre syra - till den grad det tar överhanden och ger ett lite obalanserat intryck. Tydligare ektoner än jag minns från andra versioner. Tunnlar den? Fullt möjligt. Jag har tre flaskor till som jag låter ligga. Ännu inga tydliga mognadstoner.
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1/24/2020 - WetRock wrote:
Now we're talkin. This is a full step up from the '06. This shows layers and depth to spare. Some nice leathery goodness around the edges. Plenty of acid. Room to grow. Very good.
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1/23/2020 - thwacker Likes this wine: 89 Points
Honestly, i was epecting way more. The nose was elegant but not overstated, but on the palate, the wine seemed unbalanced, with acidity way outpacing the fruit. Maybe i got a bad bottle? i have had much better reservas for half the price.
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1/14/2020 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted at the Wine & Spirits Top 100 Symposium in NYC. 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garanacha, 10% a mix of Mazuelo and Graciano. Great nose, floral and baking spices from the lengthy oak aging. Good length with earthy red fruit. Needs a long, long time in the cellar. I had the 1981 Gran Reserva last month and that was marvelous and still had plenty of life left.
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1/7/2020 - apple1813 Likes this wine: 92 Points
2007 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia was elegant, perfumed and balanced. The Rioja Reserva was clear and medium garnet in colour with thin amber rim. There was no sediment in the bottle to my surprise. On the nose, there were fruity aromas of dried strawberries and red cherries, followed by American-oak derived dill and butterscotch, with mint and cola in the background. On the palate, it was medium-bodied, complemented with medium level of balancing acidity and medium level of refined silky tannin. Minerals and ceder flavours lingered in a long finish.
According to the winery official website, the blend composed of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho and the rest with Graciano and Mazuelo. It was aged in barrels for six years. As many as 200,000 bottles were produced. It could be cellared for ten years.
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1/5/2020 - gallu wrote: 94 Points
94 Espléndido vino riojano. 12 años más tarde de su nacimiento, sale a la venta este clásico. Rojo rubí, En nariz la fruta y una buena madera se combinan estupendamente. En boca es muy equilibrado, con mucha fruta y una acidez perfecta. Es pura elegancia, tanino fino, nada secante. Tiene estructura y acidez para tener una larga vida. Tremendo.
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12/28/2019 - 87tellub Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium dark ruby/garnet blend. Pretty nose of cured meat, baked purple pie crust and perfectly ripe purple/black fruit along with new leather. It's a very lovey nose. Medium plus in body. Dark cherry and plum palate with dark licorice and then iron notes mid-palate into the finish which displays nice persistence but which leaves me wanting more after the complexity in the nose. I'd give this more time to hopefully come together on the palate.
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12/25/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine: 91 Points
Just a taste at a friend’s house from a bottle decanted yesterday. Smooth, red fruited, lightly earthy with high acidity. Long life ahead.
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12/19/2019 - Caruso Likes this wine: 96 Points
No detailed notes. This is quite young and a bit dominated by its vanilla scents for now. However it is concentrated, lovely and charming even at this early stage. A clear step up to the 2005 and probably the best Tondonia they have ever produced. 96 points from Atkin and TWA (Gutiérrez), 95 from suckling. 5/13/18/10. 2021-2030+ in a cool cellar.
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12/12/2019 - RonniePiemonte wrote: 90 Points
Lovely fragrant nose. Fruit and tea in a feminine style upon opening. Grippy tannins and acid after about an hour in the glass.
No hurry on my remaining bottles. Maybe put on some weight with time in the bottle.
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11/30/2019 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points
A blend of Tempranillo (75%), Garnacha (15%), Graciano and Mazuelo (10%). Fermented spontaneously in old oak fermenters, aged in old American oak barriques for 6 years, bottled unfiltered and then aged for further 50 months in bottle. This wine could be easily labeled as Gran Reserva, but R. L. de Heredia chooses not to, because the wines labeled as Gran Reservas are aged even longer. 13% alcohol. Total production 200,000 bottles. Tasted in a Tondonia mini-vertical of 2002-2007.
Moderately translucent ruby red color. Somewhat restrained and even slightly closed nose with aromas of sweet dark plummy fruit, some wizened black raspberries, a little bit of volatile lift, light cherry marmalade tones, a hint of earth and a developed touch of old leather suggestive of prolonged aging in wood. The wine is full-bodied, silky and dry on the palate with somewhat underwhelming flavors of ripe black cherries, some strawberries, a little bit of wizened red plums, light earthy tones, a hint of lifted VA and a touch of licorice root. The acidity feels relatively modest for a Tondonia - especially in relation to the slightly understated fruit - but the tannins feel relatively ample and moderately grippy. The finish is somewhat grippy with long, dry flavors of sour cherries, sweeter strawberries, some tart red plums, a little bit of sanguine iron, light leathery tones, a hint of dried herbs and a touch of savory old wood.
A somewhat closed and understated vintage of Tondonia Reserva which certainly shows the hallmarks of the house style, but comes across as significantly underwhelming compared to the previous vintages all the way to 2003. Only the lesser 2002 vintage felt even lighter than this one. Although this is a nice wine as a classic, very old-school Rioja, this is a rather unremarkable effort for a Tondonia Reserva. I guess the wine might be in a slump now, so the fruitier notes will probably emerge with age, but most likely it won't help with the somewhat soft acidity. This is an enjoyable traditionalist red, but based on its performance tonight, I wouldn't recommend this vintage over any of the preceding four ones of Tondonia Reserva.
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11/30/2019 - Lype Likes this wine:
Light elegant nose, the palate offers mahogany, coffee, leather and sour tones, drinking nicely now but a bit soft and less acidity than for example in the -06, this probably indicates that the ageing potential for this could be limited compared to stronger vintages such as -04.
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10/15/2019 - Barry Rothof wrote: 91 Points
@ Cachitos Rambla BCN | Complex dark fruit and earth with fine concentrated tannins and power. Great future!
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10/13/2019 - Yorgos wrote: 89 Points
Medium garnet. Expressive nose of mature red and mostly dark fruit, some glue scents that are not obtrusive, some earthy notes. The midpalate is fairly linear, not very complex but more light on its feet that you would expect with medium + acidity. Not my cup of tea but interesting.
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10/12/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted at 4pm and tasted from 7-9pm. Medium garnet color. Nose has a decent amount of sweet oak, citrus, cherry, earth and leather. Lithe and elegant mouth feel. Plenty of bright acidity. Fairly well layered flavors with cherry, vanilla, anise and tart strawberry on the finish. I think this will be better in 10 years.
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9/23/2019 - David J Cooper wrote: 92 Points
Medium red. As always the first thing I notice is the old furniture/antique shop notes in the nose, then the berry fruit and finally a bit of dill from the oak. The flavours are black cherry and boysenberry. The finish is a bit bracing and behind the acid there is a lot of tannins.
Not ripe as some 07s Riojas have been.
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