This bottle was a little tired, sad to say. Still showed some interesting tertiary character, so I don’t think it was corked, but there was a musty thing going on in the aromas that raised some suspicion, so take my appraisal with a grain of salt.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
It really is amazing what air does for old bottles. This seemed dead, acidic and totally forgettable when opened. Two hours later it is a totally different animal. The color is brick with a significant amber edge. Mature red fruit nose (berries and cherry) that shows ample sweetness, purple flowers and a hint of tobacco. The tobacco is less pronounced than i found in previous bottles. Stately and elegant - clear / transparent profile. More linear than broad yet the acidity that was dominant upon opening has receded to the back. Not quite as deep as past bottles but terrific nonetheless. (92)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
There's no substitute for class, and this wine has it in spades.
Cork extraction was of course a little trying, but getting past that (and the sticky black residue in the coffee filter to catch the cork crumble), the nose on this now 35-year-old Tondonia was was fabulous in itself. Like a fine old Cologne, it had cedar and cigar box, sweet spices, gentleman’s club, old library and leather-bound books married together in perfect harmony.
On the palate it was the same, overlaying a red sour fruit profile and a still lively and vibrant acidity with a touch of aniseed. Seems almost indestructible, would love to see this in another 15 years.
A rare treat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
One sniff and you know it's old Tondonia---that or cherry-scented pipe tobacco from Leavitt & Pierce. Very much at peak maturity. Tannins are gone, and the wine reads as high-toned on the palate. Great stuff. This has in the past been an underrated and this underpriced vintage for Tondonia, but alas the wine has gotten harder to find and the cool kids have caught on too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine seemed fragile so I didn’t decant. That may have been a Mississippi the wine continually got better thru the evening. Dried, herbs and flowers with an old leather background. Quite impressive.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful nose of cherries, leather, and pickles. Palate is well integrated and mature, grapefruit and orange peels with fresh, mouthwatering acidity. Finish is long, with some fine tannins still gripping as it goes.
A great wine, and a testament to what this tremendous producer can bring if given enough resting time. This is ready to go, but no hurry if you have a few bottles hidden away.
Cork presented moist and moldy, but as others have noted, don't be put off by it. Drank (alone) the night before Isabelle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Super impressive. Pale crimson with a touch of amber. Gorgeous nose that is full of red fruit, tobacco and spice. This is dignified. Palate is mature and resolved. Medium weight, tertiary with a lovely sappiness on the back end. Wonderful. Drink up. (94)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Brief note - very impressive. Classic sweet berry, oak and pickle nose. Mature palate yet still fresh. Perfect now but going nowhere fast. Impressive. (93)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The three most recent notes below capture it well. We will add: the two glasses remaining on the second night were even more impressive, showing complexity and intergration. Lovely stuff from a venerable house.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A delicious, mature wine that will delight those who value complexity and nuance over power. The color is a feeble brick mahogany. The nose takes time to release notes of spice, leather and pickle juice. There is a sweet caramel hint as well. The palate is velvety and fine showing both mature leather and fruit notes. Lingers without power. Subtle. Impressive. (91)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A prime example of a high quality aged Rioja. Don't be alarmed by a moist cork, this wine was flawless. Cherries and leather on the nose, which both present themselves on the palate. Add to that Delicious orange peel for sure (from a previous note), and a touch of dill if you're searching. Beautiful brick red color with great acidity and smooth but filling mouthfeel.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My last bottle - such a lovely wine and it evokes such bittersweet memories. Started out with several bottles 6 or so years ago and have drank them all down. Fully resolved tannins, bright red fruit, a lingering aftertaste and the slightest hint of barnyard. This is an amazing wine which I am sure can go on for years more. Would need to have better restraint with regard to the younger bottling of this.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
WOW. the best showing of this that I have ever had and hands down, the WOTN. even the dude who doesn't like red was waxing lyricals over this. nose of leather, forest floor with a hint of orange peel. medium ruby in colour. tannins were mostly resolved, but there were some lingering tannin - this baby should be able to last for several more years, maybe more than a decade?
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Closed at first open but within an hour this is singing. Beautiful light bricking with a slight brownish tone. Sweet red fruits on the nose. This is ready now. Such a gentle wine with no edges. The tannins are completly resolved. The fruit is subtle, burgundian dare I say. This is my second bottle in a year. Both wonderful. I think it can stay suspended in its current wonderfulness for a least another decade. Cork came out in really good shape, moist, spongy, full. A lovely wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Gentle aroma of strawberries, clay, tobacco, umami. On the palate, a burst of red currant, very high in acid which starts off slightly harsh but softens after opening. Fantastic wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Relatively light color for a Rioja. Very leathery but a little bright fruit in the smell. Cocoa. Taste is surprising. Fruity - a lot of strawberry in the taste and finish. A little chocolate super tasty. Lightly "chalky" texture. Muy bien.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Manky cork and base neck fill. Singular nose of cherry, Lipton's iced tea, forest understory, old tobacco, a touch of balsamic. Very complex nose, much leaner palate with some sweet strawberry, cranberry, coffee, not rusty and very fresh. Enhanced by roasted lamb. Delightful old wine. Emotionally I'd score this wine much higher.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Els12golafres Wine Tasting Group: http://vinosclasicos.blogspot.com.es/2013/10/vina-tondonia-1987-reserva.html - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - De color rubí de capa media, algo más oscuro que otras cosechas de ese mismo periodo. Reflejos rojizos y anaranjados, tapado, sin mucho brillo, con partículas granuladas en suspensión y un ligero precipitado en la base de la botella. Ribete atejado, amplio con gran diferencia con el menisco.
Aromas de media intensidad y una marcada sensación inicial a maderas envinadas, regaliz Zara, té negro, café quemado, licorosos y especias molidas. Algo tímido y balsámico, sin acabar de desplegarse totalmente aunque manteniendo el tipo con mucha dignidad. Parece que su mejor puede haber pasado ya pero mantiene un montón de virtudes y no deja ver defectos. Va evolucionando poco a poco hasta acabar dando unos atractivos atisbo de frutos rojos muy maduros y algo de flores marchitas y notas asilvestradas.
En boca es de enorme madurez, fundido, cremoso, muy suave, integrado. Tiene todas las virtudes de un Tondonia entrado en años a pesar de andar algo justo de acidez. Especias dulces, vainilla, caramelos de fruta escarchada, con ese toque de dulcedumbre tan grato. Los taninos ni se ven, redondo-redondo. Amable de beber en este momento sin exigirle mucho más. Lo mejor sería no esperar más tiempo antes de que entre en la UCI de los vinos.
Wine Info - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 75% tempranillo, 15% garnacho, 15% mazuelo y graciano. 12.5% vol. Permanece durante 6 meses en viejas tinas de roble de 60 hectolitros sin control de temperatura hasta finalizar la fermentación maloláctica. Seis años de crianza en barricas usadas de roble americano de 225 litros. Sometido a 2 trasiegas por año. Clarificado con claras de huevos frescos. Embotellado sin filtrar. Un mínimo de 6 años de guarda en botellero en los calados de la bodega antes de ser comercializado. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
After 30 mins in a decanter this wine began to sing. Nose and palate intense, complex, evolving and involving. Even on the exhale, the aromas were so compelling. After an hour, the wine had disappeared so no chance to check for further development. But for me, that was an hour to remember. Better than the first bottle, sadly my last.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Soone after opening ,this was enjoyable, with tart red fruits, some hints of oak, faint tannis, and a refreshing brace of acidity. After 2 hours in a decanter, this opened considerably and displayed bright red berries, blood oranges, mushrooms, and earthiness. The complexity and ethereal weight reminded us of a nice burgundy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fruit is fading pretty fast but still offers a little pleasure. Lovely nose with some barnyard mixed in. Blood orange on the palate, with a short, tart finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped this on my brother's birthday. This was an instant hit! Extremely fruity, light and crisp, almost like a Pinot Noir, yet still distinctively Rioja. Very easy to drink, low acidity, an explosion of sweet berries and raisins on the palate, and the bouquet was flowery and complex. It was as if a basket full of various berries had been offered to me! I must say, this wine really hit the spot. My brother commented that he would give this full marks!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Spanish Wine Tasting and Dinner at BDV (1855 and Bistro du Vin): Very light ruby colour with some brown at the edges. I loved the refined nose of liquorice and mint. Oak mild. Tannins soft and nicely settled. Sour plums, raisins, ripe berries on the palate. Excellent mouth-feel, with the flavours seemingly hitting all corners of the mouth. Medium finish. Elegance was amazing. I am glad another buddy has 2 bottles of this.
Good/Very Good – clear light garnet with brown edges on the rim; fabulous nose – intense red fruit (red currant); off-dry; light to medium body; mid acidity; soft low tannins; mid length finish; very mellow; lovely soft; red currants; like previous bottle very Burgundian in nature. Started to fade and with some sour notes towards the end of the meal (30 mins – so after an hour of being opened and decanted) Decanted 30 mins before drinking over 30 mins. Cork soaked through and very crumbly. Faded on air. Not as stunning as the last bottle but still very good. Won’t wait too long with my last of bottle of this batch. Partnered well Roast Lamb, “Hand and Flowers” carrots and roast potatoes
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The 1987 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia in tawny in colour with an orange rim. A nose of cinammon, dusty wet wood, sweet incense (myrrh) and very slight sour cherries.
On the palate, the Rioja expresses dusty wet wood and a slight saltiness with underlying sour cherries. The entry begins calmly with a raising dustiness, wood spice and sweet incense and reaches a straight mid palate. Palate profile begins to plateau at the mid-palate. The age probably affected the ability for it to reach a promising climax. The finish was quick, short and a massive sourness and raising dustiness. Overall, rather thin.
Over time, it begins to improve by gaining weight, a slight length and very thankfully, the extreme sourness calms down to a gentle one pushing whatever is left of the secondary flavours. Tannins are really resolved. Fruit flavours are almost unnoticeable though everything else still holds together really well - a result of a well made wine perhaps?
I don't know about the years ahead for this, but I can only imagine that 10 years ago, this would've been a beautifully structured wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cork utterly soaked, and very crumbly. It required a great deal of dexterity, akin to raising The Mary Rose to extract it intact. I managed it, but it didn't fill me with confidence for what was to come...
Usually, I don't decant aged Rioja, because sometimes it can just crumble to pieces very quickly. But after a first glass, which was quite bitter, I decided it needed it. I'm glad I did. Very, very pale and bricking (even browning), I was worried that it may be oxidised. fear not!
So anyway, onto the nitty gritty. It has a wonderful nose, very complex, of macerated cherry and vanilla (quite obviously!) but also age-related smells, what I could only describe as the smell of very old furniture, or a museum with lots of old wood, cedar wood, perhaps a hint of mushrooms, maybe a will'o the wisp of both raspberry and blackcurrant? There's loads in there! I'm not sure my olfactory glands are up to the task.
The palate wasn't quite as explosive or expansive, even as interesting, but it is still a great example of aged Rioja, and judging by how it continued to open up over 3 or so hours, there's life in the old dog yet.
A caveat on the score. I scored LRA 1995 Ardanza as a 92 at Christmas, and I have a slight preference for the former to this because I find it to be a better example of typical good quality Rioja, so a 91 it is, but I can see how some people would plump for this for a certain uniqueness. Good fun.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very Good/Excellent – clear light garnet with brown/orange edges on the rim; fabulous nose – red fruit; an aroma that I have seen described as orange peel but not sure that fully describes it; off-dry; light body; low acidity; soft low tannins; mid length finish; very mellow; lovely soft raspberries; very burgundian in nature; lovely soft finish – stunning. Not had much experience of truly mature rioja (previous best 10-15 year old bottles) before but will be coming back for more. Decanted 30 mins before drinking over 2 hours. Improved on air. Partnered very well Herb crusted Rack of Lamb and a red wine and rosemary sauce with Dauphinoise Potatoes and Mixed Vegetables
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very light bodied and clear. Brown in the margins which made the wine look attractively old. Proustian nose which took me right back to a GP surgery in the 60's. Wood, leather and medicine. Initially thin in the mouth, vanilla wood on entry, soft tannins then a gap, then the acidity, bright and clear. The nose was the star. However, an hour in and with food, the middle filled out with sweet fruit and a harmony was achieved. The brightness prevent a balanced wine emerging but it was a tremendous accompaniment to seafood paella. And afterwards, the nose gave immense satisfaction. Not perfect, but fascinating to see how rioja can grow up. 91 pts. Edit: Some 8 weeks later, I think this needs to be reappraised. This wine keeps repeating on me in my reveries. I can still summon up the bouquet and mouthfeel today and they are pleasurable experiences. It obviously made a bigger impact on me than the words or score suggested. I'm going to add 2 pts for persisting in the memory. Isn't that what great wines are supposed to do?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rioja dinner (28-50, Marylebone, London): Open, frank, lush raspberry fruit, like a burgundy on the mid-palate although it finished more obviously rioja - this was gorgeous
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine was markedly better leading us to believe it was the GR but it was the Tondonia Reserva 1987 This was much more like it. Classic Tondonia with a freshness and drinkability that its big brother lacked. Led to discussion about the merits of extended ageing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Majestic Rioja (28-50, Marylebone, London): More mature seeming than what turns out to be the GR. mellowed. Very full and rounded, mellow caramel. Showing far more attractively than the GR, but a far ore immediate proposition. Red of the night for me. ****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Elegant perfumed old fruit nose. Vibrant juicy mouth, tingling acidity, soft velvet finish. Secondary rather than tertiary fruit, long, hard to pin down but interesting, moreish, beautiful, delicious. Ready but should last for ages
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is such an elegant wine, yet it packs so much flavour and detail. I would say it is perfectly drinking now, as the texture has become silky and cleansing. It reminds me in style to Barthod's wines, which defy scoring and are just beautifully nuanced creations.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Stunningly brilliant. Wonderful nose of old leather, sous-bois, mushroom, sweet cherries, some farmyard, menthol, liquorice and beef stock. Excellent balance in the mouth - bright acidity sits well against the mature fruit. This really is drinking wonderfully well right now. What a wine. Years ahead of it. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Temp/Gar/Maz/Graci Organish clints in this wine with a light but pure red core. Pepper, rhubarb and mint nose all surrounded by a musty cellar smell that is oddly inviting. Bright acidity with spicy find tannins, with a delicate and dusty finish. Cherry notes combine with vanilla, but in a light and airy way. Lot’s of exotic spices fade in and out as you drink this. Not an obvious wine and in the end something that is hard to put your finger on. At one moment rich and deep the next you are full of a floating feeling as the wine become less apparent. 4/5
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1/14/2023 - MartyL wrote: 87 Points
This bottle was a little tired, sad to say. Still showed some interesting tertiary character, so I don’t think it was corked, but there was a musty thing going on in the aromas that raised some suspicion, so take my appraisal with a grain of salt.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2022 - dbkitc wrote: 92 Points
It really is amazing what air does for old bottles. This seemed dead, acidic and totally forgettable when opened. Two hours later it is a totally different animal. The color is brick with a significant amber edge. Mature red fruit nose (berries and cherry) that shows ample sweetness, purple flowers and a hint of tobacco. The tobacco is less pronounced than i found in previous bottles. Stately and elegant - clear / transparent profile. More linear than broad yet the acidity that was dominant upon opening has receded to the back. Not quite as deep as past bottles but terrific nonetheless. (92)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/18/2022 - Tannatastic Likes this wine: 94 Points
There's no substitute for class, and this wine has it in spades.
Cork extraction was of course a little trying, but getting past that (and the sticky black residue in the coffee filter to catch the cork crumble), the nose on this now 35-year-old Tondonia was was fabulous in itself. Like a fine old Cologne, it had cedar and cigar box, sweet spices, gentleman’s club, old library and leather-bound books married together in perfect harmony.
On the palate it was the same, overlaying a red sour fruit profile and a still lively and vibrant acidity with a touch of aniseed. Seems almost indestructible, would love to see this in another 15 years.
A rare treat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2021 - MartyL Likes this wine: 92 Points
One sniff and you know it's old Tondonia---that or cherry-scented pipe tobacco from Leavitt & Pierce. Very much at peak maturity. Tannins are gone, and the wine reads as high-toned on the palate. Great stuff. This has in the past been an underrated and this underpriced vintage for Tondonia, but alas the wine has gotten harder to find and the cool kids have caught on too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/31/2021 - Tony Simo Likes this wine: 91 Points
The wine seemed fragile so I didn’t decant. That may have been a Mississippi the wine continually got better thru the evening. Dried, herbs and flowers with an old leather background. Quite impressive.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/30/2021 - GonzaloManzaneda wrote: flawed
Flawed
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/10/2020 - ieatprawnsss Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful nose of cherries, leather, and pickles. Palate is well integrated and mature, grapefruit and orange peels with fresh, mouthwatering acidity. Finish is long, with some fine tannins still gripping as it goes.
A great wine, and a testament to what this tremendous producer can bring if given enough resting time. This is ready to go, but no hurry if you have a few bottles hidden away.
Cork presented moist and moldy, but as others have noted, don't be put off by it. Drank (alone) the night before Isabelle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2020 - dbkitc wrote: 94 Points
Super impressive. Pale crimson with a touch of amber. Gorgeous nose that is full of red fruit, tobacco and spice. This is dignified. Palate is mature and resolved. Medium weight, tertiary with a lovely sappiness on the back end. Wonderful. Drink up. (94)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/8/2020 - dbkitc wrote: 93 Points
Brief note - very impressive. Classic sweet berry, oak and pickle nose. Mature palate yet still fresh. Perfect now but going nowhere fast. Impressive. (93)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2019 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
The three most recent notes below capture it well. We will add: the two glasses remaining on the second night were even more impressive, showing complexity and intergration. Lovely stuff from a venerable house.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/23/2019 - dbkitc wrote: 91 Points
A delicious, mature wine that will delight those who value complexity and nuance over power. The color is a feeble brick mahogany. The nose takes time to release notes of spice, leather and pickle juice. There is a sweet caramel hint as well. The palate is velvety and fine showing both mature leather and fruit notes. Lingers without power. Subtle. Impressive. (91)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/19/2019 - tzarf Likes this wine: 95 Points
A prime example of a high quality aged Rioja. Don't be alarmed by a moist cork, this wine was flawless. Cherries and leather on the nose, which both present themselves on the palate. Add to that Delicious orange peel for sure (from a previous note), and a touch of dill if you're searching. Beautiful brick red color with great acidity and smooth but filling mouthfeel.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/11/2019 - asparagus Likes this wine: 93 Points
My last bottle - such a lovely wine and it evokes such bittersweet memories. Started out with several bottles 6 or so years ago and have drank them all down. Fully resolved tannins, bright red fruit, a lingering aftertaste and the slightest hint of barnyard. This is an amazing wine which I am sure can go on for years more. Would need to have better restraint with regard to the younger bottling of this.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/16/2019 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted with steak. Wet cork but not showing any defects. Mid body, mid to mid+ acid, 12%. Lovely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/9/2017 - asparagus Likes this wine: 95 Points
WOW. the best showing of this that I have ever had and hands down, the WOTN. even the dude who doesn't like red was waxing lyricals over this. nose of leather, forest floor with a hint of orange peel. medium ruby in colour. tannins were mostly resolved, but there were some lingering tannin - this baby should be able to last for several more years, maybe more than a decade?
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/1/2017 - AV2012 wrote: 88 Points
Classic Rioja from a relatively poor vintage. Nice enough but certainly not a blockbuster, as these older Tondonias can be.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2016 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine: 94 Points
Closed at first open but within an hour this is singing. Beautiful light bricking with a slight brownish tone. Sweet red fruits on the nose. This is ready now. Such a gentle wine with no edges. The tannins are completly resolved. The fruit is subtle, burgundian dare I say. This is my second bottle in a year. Both wonderful. I think it can stay suspended in its current wonderfulness for a least another decade. Cork came out in really good shape, moist, spongy, full. A lovely wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/24/2015 - asparagus wrote: 91 Points
light ruby, with some orange on the rim. good, but not showing as well as previous bottles. favourite of the night, edging out the barton
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2014 - jibby Likes this wine: 94 Points
Gentle aroma of strawberries, clay, tobacco, umami. On the palate, a burst of red currant, very high in acid which starts off slightly harsh but softens after opening. Fantastic wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2014 - shleepy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Relatively light color for a Rioja. Very leathery but a little bright fruit in the smell. Cocoa. Taste is surprising. Fruity - a lot of strawberry in the taste and finish. A little chocolate super tasty. Lightly "chalky" texture. Muy bien.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/7/2014 - andtheodor wrote: 92 Points
Manky cork and base neck fill. Singular nose of cherry, Lipton's iced tea, forest understory, old tobacco, a touch of balsamic. Very complex nose, much leaner palate with some sweet strawberry, cranberry, coffee, not rusty and very fresh. Enhanced by roasted lamb. Delightful old wine. Emotionally I'd score this wine much higher.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2014 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
Spanish WIMPS 'Casa de Pilatos' (La Trompette, London): Fresh, good acidity. Very much in the family mould. Can see where this is going cf the 82. Another lovely wine. ****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2014 - Los 12 Glotones Likes this wine: 86 Points
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Els12golafres Wine Tasting Group: http://vinosclasicos.blogspot.com.es/2013/10/vina-tondonia-1987-reserva.html
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
De color rubí de capa media, algo más oscuro que otras cosechas de ese mismo periodo. Reflejos rojizos y anaranjados, tapado, sin mucho brillo, con partículas granuladas en suspensión y un ligero precipitado en la base de la botella. Ribete atejado, amplio con gran diferencia con el menisco.
Aromas de media intensidad y una marcada sensación inicial a maderas envinadas, regaliz Zara, té negro, café quemado, licorosos y especias molidas. Algo tímido y balsámico, sin acabar de desplegarse totalmente aunque manteniendo el tipo con mucha dignidad. Parece que su mejor puede haber pasado ya pero mantiene un montón de virtudes y no deja ver defectos. Va evolucionando poco a poco hasta acabar dando unos atractivos atisbo de frutos rojos muy maduros y algo de flores marchitas y notas asilvestradas.
En boca es de enorme madurez, fundido, cremoso, muy suave, integrado. Tiene todas las virtudes de un Tondonia entrado en años a pesar de andar algo justo de acidez. Especias dulces, vainilla, caramelos de fruta escarchada, con ese toque de dulcedumbre tan grato. Los taninos ni se ven, redondo-redondo. Amable de beber en este momento sin exigirle mucho más. Lo mejor sería no esperar más tiempo antes de que entre en la UCI de los vinos.
Wine Info - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
75% tempranillo, 15% garnacho, 15% mazuelo y graciano. 12.5% vol.
Permanece durante 6 meses en viejas tinas de roble de 60 hectolitros sin control de temperatura hasta finalizar la fermentación maloláctica. Seis años de crianza en barricas usadas de roble americano de 225 litros. Sometido a 2 trasiegas por año. Clarificado con claras de huevos frescos. Embotellado sin filtrar. Un mínimo de 6 años de guarda en botellero en los calados de la bodega antes de ser comercializado.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/2/2014 - nsellen wrote:
After 30 mins in a decanter this wine began to sing. Nose and palate intense, complex, evolving and involving. Even on the exhale, the aromas were so compelling. After an hour, the wine had disappeared so no chance to check for further development. But for me, that was an hour to remember. Better than the first bottle, sadly my last.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2014 - jkuanl Likes this wine:
Soone after opening ,this was enjoyable, with tart red fruits, some hints of oak, faint tannis, and a refreshing brace of acidity. After 2 hours in a decanter, this opened considerably and displayed bright red berries, blood oranges, mushrooms, and earthiness. The complexity and ethereal weight reminded us of a nice burgundy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2014 - asparagus Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking very well. Consistent with previous notes. An intoxicating nose, matched to a delicate your profound palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2014 - BillBell73 wrote: 88 Points
Fruit is fading pretty fast but still offers a little pleasure.
Lovely nose with some barnyard mixed in. Blood orange on the palate, with a short, tart finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2013 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Classic oaky rioja nose, but what made this such a delight, was the light floaty nature on the palate, sharp, lean, super
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/28/2013 - Davyd Chong Likes this wine: 96 Points
Popped this on my brother's birthday. This was an instant hit! Extremely fruity, light and crisp, almost like a Pinot Noir, yet still distinctively Rioja. Very easy to drink, low acidity, an explosion of sweet berries and raisins on the palate, and the bouquet was flowery and complex. It was as if a basket full of various berries had been offered to me! I must say, this wine really hit the spot. My brother commented that he would give this full marks!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/13/2013 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 95 Points
Spanish Wine Tasting and Dinner at BDV (1855 and Bistro du Vin): Very light ruby colour with some brown at the edges.
I loved the refined nose of liquorice and mint. Oak mild.
Tannins soft and nicely settled. Sour plums, raisins, ripe berries on the palate. Excellent mouth-feel, with the flavours seemingly hitting all corners of the mouth. Medium finish. Elegance was amazing. I am glad another buddy has 2 bottles of this.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
9/13/2013 - asparagus wrote: 93 Points
wow. a totally unique beast. in a good spot, but should be able to go on for a decade at least.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/11/2013 - HStaal wrote: 89 Points
Good/Very Good – clear light garnet with brown edges on the rim; fabulous nose – intense red fruit (red currant); off-dry; light to medium body; mid acidity; soft low tannins; mid length finish; very mellow; lovely soft; red currants; like previous bottle very Burgundian in nature. Started to fade and with some sour notes towards the end of the meal (30 mins – so after an hour of being opened and decanted) Decanted 30 mins before drinking over 30 mins. Cork soaked through and very crumbly. Faded on air. Not as stunning as the last bottle but still very good. Won’t wait too long with my last of bottle of this batch. Partnered well Roast Lamb, “Hand and Flowers” carrots and roast potatoes
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2013 - Average Wine Guy (MH) wrote: 89 Points
The 1987 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia in tawny in colour with an orange rim. A nose of cinammon, dusty wet wood, sweet incense (myrrh) and very slight sour cherries.
On the palate, the Rioja expresses dusty wet wood and a slight saltiness with underlying sour cherries. The entry begins calmly with a raising dustiness, wood spice and sweet incense and reaches a straight mid palate. Palate profile begins to plateau at the mid-palate. The age probably affected the ability for it to reach a promising climax. The finish was quick, short and a massive sourness and raising dustiness. Overall, rather thin.
Over time, it begins to improve by gaining weight, a slight length and very thankfully, the extreme sourness calms down to a gentle one pushing whatever is left of the secondary flavours. Tannins are really resolved. Fruit flavours are almost unnoticeable though everything else still holds together really well - a result of a well made wine perhaps?
I don't know about the years ahead for this, but I can only imagine that 10 years ago, this would've been a beautifully structured wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/21/2013 - Rupert wrote: 90 Points
Much more obviously rioja than the previous bottle with its marked vanilla coconut oak, high and ripe, high acid, very mature
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2013 - Tannatastic Likes this wine: 91 Points
Cork utterly soaked, and very crumbly. It required a great deal of dexterity, akin to raising The Mary Rose to extract it intact. I managed it, but it didn't fill me with confidence for what was to come...
Usually, I don't decant aged Rioja, because sometimes it can just crumble to pieces very quickly. But after a first glass, which was quite bitter, I decided it needed it. I'm glad I did. Very, very pale and bricking (even browning), I was worried that it may be oxidised. fear not!
So anyway, onto the nitty gritty. It has a wonderful nose, very complex, of macerated cherry and vanilla (quite obviously!) but also age-related smells, what I could only describe as the smell of very old furniture, or a museum with lots of old wood, cedar wood, perhaps a hint of mushrooms, maybe a will'o the wisp of both raspberry and blackcurrant? There's loads in there! I'm not sure my olfactory glands are up to the task.
The palate wasn't quite as explosive or expansive, even as interesting, but it is still a great example of aged Rioja, and judging by how it continued to open up over 3 or so hours, there's life in the old dog yet.
A caveat on the score. I scored LRA 1995 Ardanza as a 92 at Christmas, and I have a slight preference for the former to this because I find it to be a better example of typical good quality Rioja, so a 91 it is, but I can see how some people would plump for this for a certain uniqueness. Good fun.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2013 - HStaal wrote: 93 Points
Very Good/Excellent – clear light garnet with brown/orange edges on the rim; fabulous nose – red fruit; an aroma that I have seen described as orange peel but not sure that fully describes it; off-dry; light body; low acidity; soft low tannins; mid length finish; very mellow; lovely soft raspberries; very burgundian in nature; lovely soft finish – stunning. Not had much experience of truly mature rioja (previous best 10-15 year old bottles) before but will be coming back for more. Decanted 30 mins before drinking over 2 hours. Improved on air. Partnered very well Herb crusted Rack of Lamb and a red wine and rosemary sauce with Dauphinoise Potatoes and Mixed Vegetables
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2013 - nsellen wrote: 93 Points
Very light bodied and clear. Brown in the margins which made the wine look attractively old. Proustian nose which took me right back to a GP surgery in the 60's. Wood, leather and medicine. Initially thin in the mouth, vanilla wood on entry, soft tannins then a gap, then the acidity, bright and clear. The nose was the star. However, an hour in and with food, the middle filled out with sweet fruit and a harmony was achieved. The brightness prevent a balanced wine emerging but it was a tremendous accompaniment to seafood paella. And afterwards, the nose gave immense satisfaction. Not perfect, but fascinating to see how rioja can grow up. 91 pts.
Edit: Some 8 weeks later, I think this needs to be reappraised. This wine keeps repeating on me in my reveries. I can still summon up the bouquet and mouthfeel today and they are pleasurable experiences. It obviously made a bigger impact on me than the words or score suggested. I'm going to add 2 pts for persisting in the memory. Isn't that what great wines are supposed to do?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2012 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Rioja dinner (28-50, Marylebone, London): Open, frank, lush raspberry fruit, like a burgundy on the mid-palate although it finished more obviously rioja - this was gorgeous
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2012 - rayq wrote: 92 Points
This wine was markedly better leading us to believe it was the GR but it was the Tondonia Reserva 1987 This was much more like it. Classic Tondonia with a freshness and drinkability that its big brother lacked.
Led to discussion about the merits of extended ageing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2012 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
Majestic Rioja (28-50, Marylebone, London): More mature seeming than what turns out to be the GR. mellowed. Very full and rounded, mellow caramel. Showing far more attractively than the GR, but a far ore immediate proposition. Red of the night for me. ****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2012 - presterjohn Likes this wine:
Elegant perfumed old fruit nose. Vibrant juicy mouth, tingling acidity, soft velvet finish. Secondary rather than tertiary fruit, long, hard to pin down but interesting, moreish, beautiful, delicious. Ready but should last for ages
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/24/2012 - esibox wrote:
This is such an elegant wine, yet it packs so much flavour and detail. I would say it is perfectly drinking now, as the texture has become silky and cleansing. It reminds me in style to Barthod's wines, which defy scoring and are just beautifully nuanced creations.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2012 - pjaines wrote:
Stunningly brilliant. Wonderful nose of old leather, sous-bois, mushroom, sweet cherries, some farmyard, menthol, liquorice and beef stock. Excellent balance in the mouth - bright acidity sits well against the mature fruit. This really is drinking wonderfully well right now. What a wine. Years ahead of it. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2008 - obiscoito wrote:
Temp/Gar/Maz/Graci
Organish clints in this wine with a light but pure red core. Pepper, rhubarb and mint nose all surrounded by a musty cellar smell that is oddly inviting. Bright acidity with spicy find tannins, with a delicate and dusty finish. Cherry notes combine with vanilla, but in a light and airy way. Lot’s of exotic spices fade in and out as you drink this. Not an obvious wine and in the end something that is hard to put your finger on. At one moment rich and deep the next you are full of a floating feeling as the wine become less apparent. 4/5
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment