Bought from a private cellar. This was opened at fridge temperature, then left to warm up for a 30 minutes or so before it was first poured. This continued to improve over the course of the night, and was best -- with a more open nose and better balance on the palate -- around 3 hours after being opened.
On the nose, nutty sherry-like notes with some graham cracker spice. The palate brought streaky acid and a long, somewhat honeyed finish.
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Yellow to gold color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of pencil shavings, yellow pears and wet stones. Earthy flavors of mixed yellow fruits and minerals. Light to medium acidity, medium body. Drink now.
Not rated. Seems a bit past the drinking window or simply a tad off.
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11x Mature Rioja (1928-1999): Two Lopez de Heredia whites side by side. I like to drink these white Rioja from time to time for intellectual pleasure as they are quite unique but I'm not the biggest fan of the style (and wouldn't buy these for my cellar). They are quite particular and often with oxidation notes. In this tasting, youth trumped maturity and Reserva trumped Gran Reserva. Winner was the Vina Tondonia Reserva 1999 (rated 94 pts) which showed beautifully complex and well defined without fault and with seductive nutty/bakery aroma profile. The Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva 1981 showed more mature, less complex and precise and had a rather strange nose.
TN: Fragrant nose with an intense herbal component (a strange herbal component but I couldn't pinpoint the exact aroma, faulty?), with time a reductive note, apple cider. On the palate this shows better with a nicely intense yellow fruit component, minerality, some baking spices and some spicy notes. Not super complex or perfectly delineated but quite good, fresh, creamy, light and round with zero oxidation notes and enough fruit left for more ageing. I liked this a lot. 91/92 pts.
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Old Rioja tasting: Old Rioja tasting, privately organized. Even though 3 out of 11 bottles were flawed, the tasting was once more testament to the outstanding ageability of Rioja. While clearly not a representative sample, the Tondonias were all intact while 2 out of 3 CVNEs were flawed. That said, where the one that was still intact (1964) easily beat the Tondonia. The WOTN was neither, however, but a Paternina from 1928 (95).
Tasting note: Lots of intensity here with a strong vegetal scent of asparagus that was hard to determine whether this was an omnipresent off-note or a highly distinct character. Other than that we found nutty notes, orange peel, white fleshy fruit and a bit of mineral notes. Creamy texture with good punch of acidity which intensifies into the finish. This was intellectually fascinating, but hedonistically a bit rough to enjoy.
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Floral and slightly honeyed tropical notes on the nose. On the palate the weight of the wine is almost indiscernible. It just leaves these evolving flavors of citrus peel bitter almond and oxidative salinity. Still tons of acid making it even more enjoyable with food. The ethereal mouthfeel however pushes this to 5*
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A dear friend who knows these wines well gifted one, along with an explanation that these are truly sui generis. And they are. This wine is all about the nose and what is NOT on the palate: no acid, no oxidation, no maderized flavors. A beguiling nose of slate, multiple minerals, orange and lemon zest, steel, and a hint of tangerine, all carried by a mellifluous, almost – creamy undertone with just bare hints of minerality, lemon zest and fine oak.
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Wax, lanolin, lemon peel, and saline. Light notes of meadow flowers. Improved and expanded over 2 hours with air exposure. This wine needs to be decanted.
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A very special wine a truly beautiful one albeit at a style that might not be for everyone. This is the 5th time we have had this ( one flawed) and sourced direct from the bodega. Special as we say, soft oxidative, soft sherry notes , bright though and energetic with nutty feel , light waxy and full of fruit flavour. This is a testament to great Rioja Blancos and a wine to take a bow to. 95
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Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved it. Color of a pale rose. Sherry like nose. Nice lingering finish. If your looking for something that’s in the least bit new world-this is definitely not it. But if you want something different, that’s complex and interesting this should do the trick.
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Decanted for 30 min then back into bottle. Initially musty aromas that led me to consider whether the wine was mildly corked. After being open in bottle for another hour, aromas of parmesan cheese, flowers, seaweed, apples, and the barest hint of honeysuckle. A beautiful palate with a melange of apples, salt, iodine, minerals, and parmesan cheese. A moderate finish that lingers on the palate for some time. Still very fresh with excellent bright acids. Wine got better the longer it was open - drank this over 2 h.
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In great shape, very moderately oxidized with plenty of acidity left. Quite floral, more "interesting" than "delicious". Hearsay has it that it had opened up remarkably the next day, so if you have a bottle, give it plenty of air before drinking
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Dinner at Jade Court (Chicago, IL): Probably not the soundest bottle (we were talking about consistency in this wine and it was pretty much agreed that this bottle could be better). Really odd cigarette ash and smoke quality on the nose and palate, with a little out-of-place green astringency. I think there are good elements here, but there are also some flavours that just seem tired or off.
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This is not your everyday drinker. This is a thinking wine for sure. Lemon seed. Lemon grass. Dare I say....a whiff of stinky durian fruit??? Pine, almost reminiscent of a Retsina? Candle wax.
This 38+ year old wine definitely still has something to say. Still with plenty of life. A great treat if you ever have a chance to try one of these wines. I will say again, some people will find this wine TERRIBLE. But you have to have the right mindset to try a wine like this, you will be rewarded with a great experience.
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NYE in MI with a crü. Savory and green olive palate. Pickle juice. Nice level of freshness, water weight, flint. SEEMLESS texture. Fuck, best white wine ever.
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Light golden. Compared with the accompanying 1997, it was a bit thin. Standing on its own, it was lovely: Savory, with elegant and refreshing salinity. Hints of wax. Complex, but overall, on the lighter side. Others at the table questioned its provenance/ storage (At Porrue, Bilbao.)
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A singular wine. Seductive aromas of fresh beeswax, lanolin, honey, honeysuckle and other white flowers. Palate is so young and vibrant, with laser precision. Lemon, lemon peel, a bit of tangerine too. Well integrated coconut, a bit of American oak, and some oxidative nuttiness. Played super well with the super fresh fish at Shuko. Interestingly, the fish brought out some almost tannic structure to the wine - almost like a skin-contact fermented white. It’s a bit of a conjuring trick - it’s there with the fish, absent once the saline tang of the sushi recedes. The finish lasts and lasts, and as the last bottle did as well, it notably brought back an echo of the briny dashi, long after the fish was gone and we were just working on the wine. Fantastic stuff.
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This had lots of time in the glass. Fresh with good energy. Nutty lemon. ox. Palate shows nutty ox some bruised fruit. Bit of paraffin. Dry salty. Finish. Lemon. Minerals. Lots of power. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 16.5/20.
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Had this wine with Lobster at my house. Not sure if it paired well though others disagreed. Oxidized and mineral. Hints of lanolin and wild flowers. Very long on the palate. A very good wine The wine looks yellow brown colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like flint, mineral, lemon, fig, walnut, butterscotch and sherry. It tastes like lemon, fig, apricot, mineral, stoniness, walnut and sherry. The body is medium. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity.
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Dry honey, wet oyster shell. Appealing accents of salinity and marigold. I liked this style more than others at the table did. Does yet display the elegance of the '73.
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Mature Rioja @ Medlar (Medlar, London): Same deep old gold. Richer on the nose with more caramel notes though fewer fruit one. A touch of lanolin too though less so than the 73 earlier in the week. More sibstance too. Nicely rich. Orange peel develops on the nose and palate with air. Top Tondo, but the nod goes to the 76 Murrieta. *****
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100 Point (Parker or other) Wine Dinner Organized by Steve for 6 "Wine Guys" (The Prime Rib, Philadelphia): Before leaving Central NJ for Philadelphia I decanted this at about 1:30pm and gave it some air, tasting it to be sure it was actually drinkable then after and hour in the refrigerator put it back in the clean bottle to bring to the 100 point wine dinner. On first, smell and taste this was all lemon, almost like sipping lemon juice it was so high in acidity. By the time we started drinking it shortly after 6pm it had settled down but only partially. It was still dominated by the lemon and as I endeavored to get it there in good condition, it was initially too cold to get all the flavors out of it. After warming in the glass it was better and began to unfold its layers. The color was bright medium yellow with just a tinge of gold on the edge. The nose was ever so slightly oxidized without being bad at all. Lemon, dominated the nose and palate with a very bright/high acid mouth feel but it did show some caramel and honey notes in the mid palate and the finish had some herbal (lemongrass?) and slightly medicinal layers on the moderately long finish. No one else at the table had tasted this before and I think it was a good introduction to a long lived Spanish white wine to those present.
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From the cellars of the the excellent Rekondo, San Sebastián . Side by side with its younger sibling the 1991 ( Papies 95) and a masterclass of a wine. Fine, elegant, well evolved , good acidity still and shows no signs of slowing down albeit it definitely showed the evolution . Light oxidative , caramel note, dried fruits. 4 years when we had this last we said the nose of this wine is a voyage. A a beautiful one still. 95-96.
Please be aware of bottle variation caused by provenance.
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Funky nose of varnish and minerals. Classic oily, honeyed texture with strong notes of smoky minerals and oxidized flavors of almonds, orange zest and ripe limestone. It builds to a grippy, succulent finish with notes of salted nuts, honeysuckle and caramel. Such a unique wine that matched beautifully with steamed lobster. 94+
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Medium golden yellow color. Very flinty knows with some honeysuckle and relatively high acidity noticeable on the nose. Moderately Rich on the palate and somewhat flat on the finish initially. With and hour of air it was a bit more generous and had a strong new oak finish with a good bit of apricot in the mid palate. Went perfectly with a crawfish bisque.
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Delicious. Incredible texture and depth. Smokey nose. Oxidative qualities as usual. Perfect spot to be drunk now. Fantastic with clam pizza of all things, needs richer notes to work with food.
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@NOPA, post-climbing. Moderate plus concentration gold. Bright- a beautiful color. Almost glowing. Incredibly well put together. Slight dill pickle, toasted coconut, butterscotch with a honey-toast like aged semillon. Slight ghostly floral notes (15% Malvasia). Tertiary notes of hazelnut, truffle. The palate is seamless, medium plus bodied, moderate alcohol (only 12%! - seems like it has a touch more weight), with vibrant crystalline acidity (medium plus), and no bitterness. This was the epitome of integration. Super silky on the palate but with intensity and electricity.
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Massive, in both size and dimension. No development really since I last tried it six or seven years ago, if anything I think I may have caught it in a sleepy cycle, though it seemed to come back around toward the end of the night. One of the greats. Come back in 20 years.
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The color is clear copper golden and smells like orange peel, vanilla, honey, and nutty aromas. The tastes are vanilla, sour apple, sea salt, almonds, and sweet spices. This is a complex wine with a long, zippy finish.
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First of 6 bottles. No decant (should have tho) Honey and pear on the nose, nice fruit on the mouth. Took about 45 minutes to fully bloom. Served at about 55 degrees. Really delicious wine.
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Spanish WIMPS 'Casa de Pilatos' (La Trompette, London): Far muter and rounder on the nose initially cf the 96 reserva, then opening up to a honeyed oatmeal. Mellow and serious rather than showy. Mineral through the mid-palate and a slightly chalky grip on the finish. Understated class.
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Aromas de gran integridad, concentrado, frutoso y maduro. Abundan las notas de membrillo escarchado, corteza de limón, orejones, melón galia, miel de naranjo, con un fondo a sal marina (que no llega a ser yodado pero lo recuerda) y un deje casi vegetal perfumado a laurel y hoja de olivo, muy fino pero que va ganando en intensidad al ir respirando el vino. Van y vienen unas notas medicinales a hierbas aromáticas, té verde, tallo de manzanilla, almendras amargas y un elegantísimo acento de anises estrellados, infusión, clavo... Un blanco ordenado y elegante, dotado de una profusión de detalles de calidad poco habitual, con sensaciones de plena madurez.
En boca nos damos cuenta que estamos ante un vino necesitado de muchos años de guarda, todavía crudo y por hacerse. El blanco con el presente más complicado pero con más futuro de la casa. Hay de todo y en cantidad pero sin acabar de integrarse y con falta de orden. Potente acidez, toneladas de fruta madura, cítricos deslumbrantes, amielados, tostados, finos amargosos, una nota balsámica que lo envuelve todo y una despiedada sequedad que nos da cuenta de estar ante un tipo duro de verdad. Con 20 o 30 años más será un vino legendario. No queda otra que esperar!!!
Wine Info - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 85% viura, 15% malvasía - 12% vol. Permanece durante 6 meses en depósitos de madera. Criado durante 6 años en viejas barricas de roble americano de 225 litros elaboradas por los toneleros de la misma bodega. El vino es sometido a 2 trasiegas manuales cada año. Clarificado con claras de huevo frescas. Embotellado directamente de la barrica en 1988. Sin filtrar. Lacrado especial para favorecer su mejor evolución en botella y preservarlo de contaminaciones. Producción limitada a 20.000 botellas. Descansa un mínimo de 44 meses en botellero antes de ser comercializado. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Rioja @ 28-50: Hugely advanced colour. Deep copper. Marmalade on the nose. Good attack, very drinkable but a shadow of what it should be. It's lost all it's mid-palate complexity and texture. If you didn't know the wine you'd probably be happy enough, but not what it should be. Mid (**)* at best.
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Year 2 - Super Tasting 2 of 5 - Andrew does Rioja (Langdon Hall, Cambridge, ON): Powerful nose of beeswax, integrated dill/coconut american oak, melon, honey, wet wood and brown baking spices. Palate reveals a dusty attic note, with a fat mouthfeel. Acid is moderate to slightly low, with a finish that I found a tad short. Overall I appreciated the nose on this far more than the palate.
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Year 2 - Super Tasting 2 of 5 - Andrew does Rioja (Langdon Hall, Blair, Ontario): Very pretty nose.....really put together with wet wool, salted caramel, mushroom, flowers, burnt butter, wax, honey and melon. The palate displayed lemon, nuts, caramel, saline, white flowers, wax, honey and earth. Really rich. The finish is medium+ and quite complex....very nice wine.
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Year 2; Tasting 2 of 5; Andrew does Rioja (1954-1994) (Red Room, Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Ontario): Popped and poured, followed approximately 2 hours. Golden colour in the glass. On the nose, crystalline honey, a touch of melon, florals, beeswax, light sherry/oxidative notes, mushroom, earth, roasted nuts, sandalwood, a touch of caramel, smoke, wet wool and dried herbs. On the palate, richly textured, dry, with tastes of honey, lemon zest, melon, light sherry, dried herbs and earth. At first this feels slightly deficient in acidity, but it really kicks in with a long, lingering lemon zest note. This was a very intellectual wine with a ton of complexity and interest. I preferred this to the younger 1991, but may be in the minority with that sentiment.
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Fantastic, just maturing. Will live forever, and provide long lasting, immensel pleasurable drinking. Definitely not for everyone, but a great food wine.
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PnP. Bought at LdH on release. Shows a little reduction and initially it's more shy than the RSV91. With some air in glass it opens up more an more and offers a complex bouquet made of apricots and subtle honey along with that oxidative/sherry style typical of aged viura. On palate it's medium bodied (tasting this wine blind will puzzle and confuse you), quite dry, carrying a high acidity and a finish made of white fruit and citrus. It's so different and more rich and complex compared to the Reserva... it's elegant, intriguing, showing something different everytime I dared to sniff the glass or take another sip. An oxidative style that probably is not for everyone taste but that certainly won't leave anyone indifferent. A must try wine. An impressive effort with many years of life ahead. (92-94)
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Two San Francisco Dinners with Charles; 5/17/2013-5/18/2013: Medium yellow without any browning. Right out of the bottle, a transient whiff of sherry, but then it became fresher and fresher over 2 hours with bright citrus. Waxy, vanilla feel and remarkable acidity. Always a hint of oxidation, but this remained in the background for the whole time we drank this. Singular wine, extremely enjoyable and interesting.
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Drank as the finale of a 4-day tondonia blanco bender in Basque Country.. First the 98 at nerue then the 91 at Mugaritz, and finally the 81 at Arzak.
This was the pinnacle of Rioja blanco for me. A 32 year old dry white in peak condition is a serious treat. It was theme and variation, playing pasodoble with the dishes of the evenin with perfect Spanish verve and pinpoint accuracy. It conjured phantoms and did magic tricks that left me smirking well after each taste.
At first open, the nose was elusive and tight. Not as forward with the tropical fruit as the 91' and tasted delicate and I worried that it was faded glory and past its prime. Had the Velvety and waxy texture so characteristic of tondonia, but the structure seemed to have disappeared. It opened up over the next hour or so, but it wasn't until the food started coming that it showed its true colors. First, with the egg and cheese variations, a raciness and edge appeared that I hadn't noticed before, carefully playing a well-demarcated, almost academic counterpoint to the idiazabal, crispy milk, and other lactic elements of the plate.
Next, a lobster dish with hemp bread and mustard vinaigrette. This is where the when blew the doors off and did some cirque du soliel crazy acrobatics. The interplay with the lobster roe was nothin short of extraordinary. Long after (10+ minutes) I had consumed the roe, post dressed salad, post bread, the tondonia continued to evoke the umami sea essence of the roe, bringing it back to my palate, not as a will-o-wisp or ghost, but as a full on hallucination. The mineral slightly saline aspects of the wine married land and sea in a way that I had never experienced. It later repeated the trick with the sole with sea vegetables and sour blossoms.
As amazing as that was, it was the pairing with the pigeon that stole the show. Here it displayed a musculature that caused me to almost get up and dance. The wine's interplay with the bitter and sour citrus components, the magnificently concentrated porcini gelee, and the rich minerality of the game, like a maestro taming a feisty orchestra.
I can only describe this wine in musical terms, it was like the albeniz's Iberia. THe evocation is melacholic, filled with past glory, and reveals none of what is to come, the brilliance and genius of Corpus Christi, lavapies and Eritania.
I have a hard time imagining a more special white. Utterly unique and singular.
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Keith P @ Trompette (La Trompette, London): Bright gold. Waxy, lanolin nose. Rich and concentrated, seems too rich for a Rioja, so maybe northern Rhone? Don't think it's Semillon etc. no, turns out to be Rioja after all, well done Tom, so Tondonia, and judging by colour and freshness, 81? Yes. Really very good, plenty of depth and interest and managing to combine interest and freshness. Lovely. ****
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Classic oxidized style with an intense, dry, minerally finish. It has a waxy texture with flavors of honey and spices and mature nutty notes on the finish. This actually tightened up in the glass and became less oxidized and more expressive with time open but I still liked this a little better a few years ago.
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This continues my love affair with Lopez de Heredia. Deep golden color. Holding up incredibly well for a white wine this old. Classic briny, oxidative flavors. Nose comes off with apricot and peach. Surprising acidity on the palate. Lots of nuttiness, especially on the finish, which is a bit shorter than I would have wanted but still substantial. Needed some air, so I recommend decanting for an hour or so before serving.
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Sourced from the Bodega. Top shoulder level. Good cork. Special wine and of the oxitative style so its a question of do you like the style. The nose on this wine is a voyage. You can keep going back and back, the complexity , the waxy notes, honey notes. Such a beautiful nose. It lacks a bit of depth on the palate unforunately but a still, vibrant and with a decent life ahead of it. 93 easy
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Candied citrus nose. The palate citrus and mushroom wax. And then it Demon Drops into a colder, charged, twirling comfort-bath of ocean, pits, preserved lemon oil, green banana, and peach-cream, and finally a memory of hard lemon candy.
Follow up 9/6/14. I rated this a 93 at the time but made an unprecedented move (for me) and raised its score since I'm still fantasizing about it two years later.
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drank at 11 south with drycab, hollowell and donna. pnp.
no notes taken. too many glasses guzzled, and pretty hazy this morning. remember it being waxy and rife with aromas and flavors that i cannot begin to describe. unlike anything i've ever had, and while it was good, and i marked that i liked it, i'm not in a hurry to have it again. still lively and kicking, though i don't see it getting any better.
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Not as fresh as the 1991, but still holding. The nose is a bit heavy for me, full bodied, pretty mature fruit. At this age it is still drinking very well. Impressive but lacks finesse to be more. 90.
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Lopez de Heredia Vertical, with Maria Jose Lopez de Heredia (The Sampler, South Ken, London): 10yr in Barrel and 100% 1981 vintage. Golden yellow in colour. Very bright and glossy! Hints of honey, oxidation, citrus notes. Rich, dense complex and very long. Vibrant and very much alive with a long life ahead of it. This is a superb wine and one we would look to buy. Best in the white line up. 93 and drink from now but with a long life ahead.
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Heredia Tasting; 5/7/2012-5/8/2012 (Palena, Washington, DC): This was served as the first white of the group. N Honeycomb, wax, seashells. P Honeycomb, wax, rubber, seashells, and minerals. F AA in length and still good acidity for a 31 year old bottle, actually improved with more air IMO. 92-93
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Dreamtasting #4 (Restaurant de Watermolen, Kasterlee): Light straw yellow in colour. A placid, timid, soft fragrance flows out of the glass. Exquisite oak, dried flowers and fruits, tobacco, polished mahogany desk, beeswax and peat. On the palate this is extremely tight, sourish, with razor sharp focus. This might even be too much, some called it thin, meagre and fierce. Although it turned softer, deeper and more friendly in due time, I still was disappointed because I had high hopes for this wine. 16.5/20
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López de Heredia - Vińa Tondonia (Enoteca Barolo - Madrid): Golden colour, Sherry-like, Manzanilla Pasada even. Closed so very oily... anchoives, sofa wharves! What a bottle on the palate, long yet acidic enough to keep it alive for many years. Superior class here. 30 years old wine and still running.
Color drado, ajerezado, incluso a Manzanilla Pasada. Cerrado así que muy aceitoso,... anchoas, ¡muelles de sofá! Menuda botella en boca, larga pero lo suficientemente ácida para mantenerla viva por muchos años. De clase superior. Un vino de 30 años y todavía con recorrido.
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Aromas of baked apples, caramel, baking spices, honey and almonds. Medium-plus bodied with good acidity, especially for being 30 years old. Rounded with good depth and concentration, it finishes with very good length. Quite a special treat.
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Dark yellow. Very spicy bouquet with limestone minerality and a bit oxidized impressions. On the palate also some oxidized impressions, but also good minerality. Overall a bit meager and quite drying in the finish. My score would be well below 90 and seeing the other scores in CT I wonder if we had an off bottle; so no score. The other tasters were quite disappointed about this wine as well.
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Appearance: Bright and clear, medium (-) gold, with watery rims and legs Nose: Clean, medium (+) intensity and developing aromas of cooked lemon, almond, hazelnut, mushroom, wax, savory, cereal. Palate: Dry and of medium acidity, with medium alcohol and medium (+) body, the wine has medium (+) intensity flavors of cooked lemon, savory, mushroom, almond, forest floor, wax. The wine has a supple texture and harmonious impression, with medium (+) length. Conclusion: Very good Rioja white showing good balance, with intense nose and palate showing well developed ageing characters. Good complexity with mainly tertiary aromas and flavours but still possess some citrus notes, with a good long length. Ready to drink now but has potential for ageing of another 4-6 years.
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Just a fantastic wine and combined beautifully with freshly-schucked oysters. Classic oxidized style with lovely flavors of spicy honey and a wonderful nuttiness. Finishes round and complex with strong mineral notes. I love this juice and it only gets batter with further aging. Amazing and a real crowd-pleaser today if someone is open to something unique and different.
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30th Birthday at Palena; 6/2/2011-6/5/2011 (Palena, Washington, DC): N: Candy apply, carmel, honey, wax P: Candy apple, carmel, honey, beeswax, pears, still some acidity. F: The finish was long and the wine was excellent considering the age. Overall this wine was fantastic, so much of a change of pace between the other two wines. Love it. 91-92
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Brett's Epic Birthday Tasting (Palena - Washington, DC): this white rioja is almost orange in color at this point in its evolution. the nose shows honey nut cheerios, caramel apples and some sherry. the palate is rich and bold with honeyed pears, graham crackers, caramel apple. but i found the acid to be fresh and lively. only slightly oxidized, and i think it really increases the complexity of this wine. this wine seemed so young. i couldn't believe it was 30 years old. still going strong, this was indeed a memorable wine for a memorable event.
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Light golden hay. Full nose - wood, grainy, hay wax with a little brulee/sweetness. Chewy on the palate with lots of hay and harvest flavors - tastes golden. Very focused with bright acid, and a solid acidic finish. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 16/20.
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Dark gold. Very nose with minimal oxidative notes. A very hard wine to characterize. Prominent aromas of herbs and chartreuse. Also honey, almonds, petrol and wax. Very dry and impossibly long on the finish. Pleasing as well as distinctive.
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Really beautiful color. Nose had lots of almonds and nuts with some honey, and a little oxidation. Palate was excellent with more honey, lemon, some herbs, and wax going on. There wasn't too much acidity left, but for a 30 yr old white wine I would expect it to show much acid.
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30th Birthday Dinner (Ardeo, Washington DC): Golden color in the glass. Nose was exotic and absolutely gorgeous. Hazelnut and almond oil tones dominated the perfume, but there was also a nice floral lift and a touch of sherry. Palate was round and lush with great lemon and herbs woven throughout. The finish was lacking some acidity for my palate, but this is a fine wine.
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Captivating nose this time. Easily the best experience I've had with this wine. Incredibly fresh peach aspect along with a zesty lemon character on the palate. Certainly has the oxidative notes, but they seem almost in the background. Full bodied but extremely energetic. Very, very impressive showing.
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Keith's Blind Challenge Offline (The Square, London): Blind. White. Deep gold. Another oxidative style. Quite waxy, slightly oily texture. Somewhere in the northern rhone? No, not waxy enough and this has more acidity - possibly a Tondonia now? *** Ooh, sneaky, this appeared at last year's challenge too.
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Dark yellow with good fill. Initially not very forthcoming but with aeration, aromas of hazelnut, mineral, honey and herbs (chartreuse-like). Though it reminded us of dry sherry in some ways, the aromatics were quite different. Didn't get oxidative notes. Very fresh with a long amd dry finish. A unique wine that we were happy to taste, but would not run out to buy again.
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Good acids, nutty, yellow fruit, brown sugar (though of course fully dry). Revisited on train (I took home the final few ounces) it was more herbal and vibrant, I liked at dinner, loved on train (of course by then my palate was shot). At dinner I put down B+
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Personalmente mi sono piaciute molto le note mielose/erbacee di erbe fini al naso, ed anche la bocca ben presente. Altri hanno gradito meno. Ovviamente su toni molto ossidativi.
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A disappointment, although better than the last specimen, which seemed fake or reconditioned. Oxidative, of course, it freshens a bit after 30 minutes, but not enough. Still my least favorite Lopez white to date. The 1989 plain Tondonia reserva blanco drunk beside it, always reliable, was twice as good at half the price. I'm not sorry this was my last bottle of the 1981.
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Like Totally 80s @ Home (CT): I figured this would be a little oxidated, which is why I paired it with a chestnut soup. Indeed this did have a nutty/oxidated character, but perhaps a bit much for me. Some citrus, with a sour element to it. This did seem to freshen up and "awake" with air, but I never really warmed up to it. Interesting.
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Similar to my previous note. After all the controversy about the label differences and fill levels, the wine in both bottles was equally good with only slight variation.
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Sadly not the same experience as the bottle a the Sampler. More old oak, oxidative-style, a bit sharper. Less greaceful and delicate. But still very long and fluctuating. Just a bit more tiring to drink too. The other 2 I bought are browner than this one, which does not bode well...
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(Tasted at The Sampler). Surprisingly relatively un-oxidised style here. Very comfortably NOT sherry. Light gold. The oak is not dark or old but light and gently spiced. A bright, delicate entry; it has a very classy very fine finish which goes on and on, with aromas of light oak tumbling over herbs and spices I struggled to pin down. One of the best white wines I've tasted.
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An interesting wine that improved with time in the glass. Fairly light-bodied and dry with grassy, herbaceous scents. This would be a good bottle to explore over a fish or chicken dinner with plenty of time for contemplation. Very interesting and certainly much better than the Lopez red wines.
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Spain and Portugal Tasting (Casa Roberts): quince and a hint of oxidation. toasted almond notes. medium(+) finish. reminds me of a nice aged loire chenin blanc (but at 4x the price, not worth it) Bottle was in very nice shape (sourced from PJ)
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Spain and Portugal (2033 Brandywine): This is a good solid white Rioja, but these are definitely not up my alley. Fresh for such an old and oxidized wine. Some floral and mineral notes peaking through. Nutty and salty. Subtle fruit. I did not get too much. A touch of sweetness. Green tea? A very nice finish. Well made, but the white Rioja flight was not my cup of tea.
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Keith's Blind Challenge (The Square, London): Keith's Blind Challenge. Far darker, light golden colour. Waxy, lanolin and apple nose. Light attack, quite hollow in the middle but comes back on the finish. Reminiscent of an old chenin blanc. ***1/2
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NSMFOW June '09--Thirtheeth Anniversary Dinner (The Grapevine, Salem, MA): Color of a carmelized sugar syrup. Nose of almonds and white fruits. Palate very fresh, mildy sherried, with nice fruit peaking out from the nuttiness. Nice minerality. Great acidity. My second experience with an aged white rioja. stevetimko brought one to the Seattle Cellarpalooza last year, and I was completely unprepared for the experience, and therefore did not appreciate it fully. This is a truly lovely wine. Would be nice with paella. Brought by Al and Anita.
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Local Seafood Dinner: Beautiful wine. Such freshness, it honestly defies its 28 years. Ripe fruit shows through, underneath almonds, a floral hint, and saline breeze. Great acidity too . Texture is rich and unctuous but totally light and graceful. This wine is a great experience, pure pleasure, both hedonistic and intellectual.
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(mildly) corked and (mildly) oxidized. The fruit struggled to push through, and the obvious weight of the wine on the mid palate suggested I missed something really special. The bottle got drained though and some really liked it with Carlos' paella. Approx $100
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Lopez de Heredia dinner at Troquet (Boston, MA): Bright golden colour with a fantastic nose that starts out showing hazelnut, toasted almonds, orange marmalade, brown sugar and some faintly sherried notes. The palate isn't as sweet or nutty as the nose leads one to imagine with a rich velvety texture, buttery melon and quince flavours over a salty mineral character and finishing with a streak of coconut flavours on the back end. Complex and fascinating to sit with over time, developing first some petrol like elements and later mustard seed notes after a couple of hours.
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Color is a brown-tinged yellow. A bit of funk on the nose and palate just after the first pour, but blew off quickly. Nose is wonderfully complex, transporting. And wonderfully fresh - hard to believe the juice was harvested 28 years ago. On the palate, is crisp and fresh and concentrated. This is wonderfully complex and nuanced - each sip is a trip down a river of flavors. Slightly oxidized, but adds to the complexity. Finish is long. Was very sad when this bottle was finished. One of the most interesting and best white wines I've had recently.
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Apricot, peach, almond, and fresh, sauteed mushrooms. Enormous length. The bottle stood open on my desk in my overheated dorm room for a week and barely showed any (more) oxidation. Could age much longer. As it sits in the glass it changes constantly, and one gets the impression that it is a living thing with a real personality. Truly a fine wine.
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Malvasia grapes. Definitely an oldie, but still has a hint of freshness to it! Juicy, nice acidity, not sweet. Light cookie. Medium body. Light pineapple. Darkish straw yellow. Honey, spices. Christmasy. Blindfold me and I might think this was a light red. Spicy. Very interesting and cool! Kicking myself for not buying it for $30. :-/
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Utterly delicious. Notes of pineapple, creme caramel along with some nuttiness with a nose to match. No funk at all, smooth, luscious and nicely weighted. I would have this again and again if it wasn't 80 bucks a bottle. One of my all time favorites.
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López de Heredia dinner (Orson, San Francisco): Remarkably perfumed wine, with potent aromas of butterscotch, coconut, and lemon rind. (Looking back at what I just wrote, I felt that I should add that it smelled nothing like a Pina Colada.) Bone dry, with good acidity. Absolutely palate-coating. Expansive on the midpalate with a finish that lasts for minutes. Amazing.
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Excellent. Fino sherry notes on the nose with bitter apple, roasted nuts and earth. Aromas of mustard greens, and rosemary. On the palate, burnt orange peel, bitter almonds and lemon zest. Rich without too much weight, has a long finish, strong acidity, and a seemingly limitless number of years of life left. Gradually, pollen and anise coming forward in bouquet.
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I'll never understand how they make these taste so fresh with all the oxidativeness it goes through in the winemaking process. Despite the quarter-century of bottle age the fruit profile here is amazingly light in complexion and almost sumptuous, as though it had a filling of lemon custard and vanilla cream. More restrained and civilized and not as pungent or funky in scent as the '89 - but not as exciting, for the same reason.
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This is astonishingly fresh for a 25 year old wine and certainly less oxidized than I had expected. Sure, there are nut and earth notes here but I would hardly call this madierized (not a knock in my book, btw -- I use different terms for "over the hill") and it's actually vivacious. Spry. Creamy and deep rather than oily and slick. There's still some yellow fruit here, albeit not much. Wonderful, wonderful stuff; nothing like it.
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Destaques da Vini Vinci 2007; 8/27/2007-8/28/2007: PI. Nariz inicialmente um pouco alcoólico, lembrando whisky. Muito seco, acidez elevada, fruta ainda presente mas evoluída, notas de mel e frutos secos. Final com traço oxidativo que não apareceu com essa intensidade nos outros. Muito longo. Precisa ser provado com mais calma. 91-92pts.
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exotic sherry notes open up into endless aromas of butterscotch. very much alive and enticing with snappy structure and lively mouthfeel. I loved this wine and it still has many years to go.
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First white Rioja. First white of this age. First white with this color.....lots of firsts for me here. Wasnt sure if the bottle was slightly corked or not. Didn't bother any of my dinner guests though - everyone really loved it. Some really intense maderization here. So much caramel, someone suggested it was similar to a dessert wine. Might want to try again.
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Bought at the winery about a year and a half ago. Golden in color. Gorgeous nose of peaches, quince, a little lemon zest, and nutty. Nose reminded me of scents found in botrytisized wines. On palate this wine is dry and crisp with flavors of lemon. It has beautiful mature flavors but still lively. This has a lot of life left.
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Madeirized yellow color. Madeirized nose with notes of honey and minerals. Gorgeous oily mouthfeel with delicious nutty flavors and notes of honey and spice. Deliciously complex on the long, saturated finish. This is a totally different style of wine that is amazingly youthful but also slightly madeirized at the same time - it's like it's clean and pure but biologically screwed up all at once. Distinct and delicious.
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From the color it appears to be oxydized but this bottle is far from dead. Still full of vigor and totally unique, those looking for a different white wine experience will want to taste this wine. Rich, nutty and complex yet the excellent acidity prevents it from being at all heavy. Really enjoyed this.
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Had this at the Astor tasting of Spanish wines since the 50's. This was an interesting white, had notes of butterscotch, and was unlike any white I've ever had. Hard for me to say more, because medication affected my taste buds, but this was neat to try. $74/btl
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Spain: Night 4- Antonio Perez (Granada): This was the one wine that was trully hard to judge today (improper glasses+needs more air time)... but with time it was able to open up and offer some more fruit, apples, slighly oxydised style, but with lovely acidity and very refreshing.
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Touch corky on the nose. Vanilla cream nose. Light. Fairly elegant. Not overly impressive. I suspect this would show much better on its own or amid a rather smaller selection that this walkround. Good.
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9/17/2023 - ekorn Likes this wine:
Bought from a private cellar. This was opened at fridge temperature, then left to warm up for a 30 minutes or so before it was first poured. This continued to improve over the course of the night, and was best -- with a more open nose and better balance on the palate -- around 3 hours after being opened.
On the nose, nutty sherry-like notes with some graham cracker spice. The palate brought streaky acid and a long, somewhat honeyed finish.
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4/25/2023 - jkoenen wrote: 95 Points
Still improved with air!
Up a notch.
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12/5/2022 - FEDEVIDAL Likes this wine: 99 Points
Uno de los mejores vinos blancos del mundo. Indescriptible. Inmortal
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11/23/2022 - cbforever1 wrote: 97 Points
What a wine!
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4/27/2022 - gudetama wrote: 99 Points
This was amazing. Still has a lot left. So much cedar, saffron, and grandma's house (that's what everyone kept thinking) on it. Stunning wine!
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1/16/2022 - wineismylife wrote:
WIMLNR
Tasted non blind.
Yellow to gold color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of pencil shavings, yellow pears and wet stones. Earthy flavors of mixed yellow fruits and minerals. Light to medium acidity, medium body. Drink now.
Not rated. Seems a bit past the drinking window or simply a tad off.
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11/29/2021 - G_H wrote: 89 Points
More interesting than delicious with vegetal notes, some weird herbs past their due dates and cold asparagus water
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11/29/2021 - Cailles wrote: 91 Points
11x Mature Rioja (1928-1999): Two Lopez de Heredia whites side by side. I like to drink these white Rioja from time to time for intellectual pleasure as they are quite unique but I'm not the biggest fan of the style (and wouldn't buy these for my cellar). They are quite particular and often with oxidation notes. In this tasting, youth trumped maturity and Reserva trumped Gran Reserva. Winner was the Vina Tondonia Reserva 1999 (rated 94 pts) which showed beautifully complex and well defined without fault and with seductive nutty/bakery aroma profile. The Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva 1981 showed more mature, less complex and precise and had a rather strange nose.
TN: Fragrant nose with an intense herbal component (a strange herbal component but I couldn't pinpoint the exact aroma, faulty?), with time a reductive note, apple cider. On the palate this shows better with a nicely intense yellow fruit component, minerality, some baking spices and some spicy notes. Not super complex or perfectly delineated but quite good, fresh, creamy, light and round with zero oxidation notes and enough fruit left for more ageing. I liked this a lot. 91/92 pts.
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10/27/2021 - sirpat00 wrote: 90 Points
Old Rioja tasting: Old Rioja tasting, privately organized. Even though 3 out of 11 bottles were flawed, the tasting was once more testament to the outstanding ageability of Rioja. While clearly not a representative sample, the Tondonias were all intact while 2 out of 3 CVNEs were flawed. That said, where the one that was still intact (1964) easily beat the Tondonia. The WOTN was neither, however, but a Paternina from 1928 (95).
Tasting note:
Lots of intensity here with a strong vegetal scent of asparagus that was hard to determine whether this was an omnipresent off-note or a highly distinct character. Other than that we found nutty notes, orange peel, white fleshy fruit and a bit of mineral notes. Creamy texture with good punch of acidity which intensifies into the finish. This was intellectually fascinating, but hedonistically a bit rough to enjoy.
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10/3/2021 - lovanc@outlook.com wrote:
Floral and slightly honeyed tropical notes on the nose. On the palate the weight of the wine is almost indiscernible. It just leaves these evolving flavors of citrus peel bitter almond and oxidative salinity. Still tons of acid making it even more enjoyable with food. The ethereal mouthfeel however pushes this to 5*
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8/8/2021 - Sotto325 wrote: 93 Points
A dear friend who knows these wines well gifted one, along with an explanation that these are truly sui generis. And they are. This wine is all about the nose and what is NOT on the palate: no acid, no oxidation, no maderized flavors. A beguiling nose of slate, multiple minerals, orange and lemon zest, steel, and a hint of tangerine, all carried by a mellifluous, almost – creamy undertone with just bare hints of minerality, lemon zest and fine oak.
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1/22/2021 - Boone's Farm Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wax, lanolin, lemon peel, and saline. Light notes of meadow flowers. Improved and expanded over 2 hours with air exposure. This wine needs to be decanted.
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1/22/2021 - Ltim BE Likes this wine: 96 Points
Simply amazing !
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9/25/2020 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
A very special wine a truly beautiful one albeit at a style that might not be for everyone. This is the 5th time we have had this ( one flawed) and sourced direct from the bodega.
Special as we say, soft oxidative, soft sherry notes , bright though and energetic with nutty feel , light waxy and full of fruit flavour. This is a testament to great Rioja Blancos and a wine to take a bow to. 95
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2/15/2020 - drwine2001 wrote:
Tulip yellow. Hazelnut and some dull citrus on the nose. Slight oxidation but very alive with great waxy texture and complexity in the mouth.
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1/18/2020 - dabovino Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved it. Color of a pale rose. Sherry like nose. Nice lingering finish. If your looking for something that’s in the least bit new world-this is definitely not it. But if you want something different, that’s complex and interesting this should do the trick.
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11/5/2019 - G_H wrote: 92 Points
Sweet corn, lots of white asparagus, good acidity, some saline notes, dill, very long and muscular
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8/17/2019 - James Kim Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 30 min then back into bottle. Initially musty aromas that led me to consider whether the wine was mildly corked. After being open in bottle for another hour, aromas of parmesan cheese, flowers, seaweed, apples, and the barest hint of honeysuckle. A beautiful palate with a melange of apples, salt, iodine, minerals, and parmesan cheese. A moderate finish that lingers on the palate for some time. Still very fresh with excellent bright acids. Wine got better the longer it was open - drank this over 2 h.
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3/30/2019 - Gece wrote:
In great shape, very moderately oxidized with plenty of acidity left. Quite floral, more "interesting" than "delicious". Hearsay has it that it had opened up remarkably the next day, so if you have a bottle, give it plenty of air before drinking
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2/18/2019 - acyso wrote: 85 Points
Dinner at Jade Court (Chicago, IL): Probably not the soundest bottle (we were talking about consistency in this wine and it was pretty much agreed that this bottle could be better). Really odd cigarette ash and smoke quality on the nose and palate, with a little out-of-place green astringency. I think there are good elements here, but there are also some flavours that just seem tired or off.
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1/13/2019 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
Some sweetness, some funk on the nose (A-)
Clean palate. Some sourness (B++)
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1/13/2019 - cridershow wrote: 92 Points
This is not your everyday drinker. This is a thinking wine for sure. Lemon seed. Lemon grass. Dare I say....a whiff of stinky durian fruit??? Pine, almost reminiscent of a Retsina? Candle wax.
This 38+ year old wine definitely still has something to say. Still with plenty of life. A great treat if you ever have a chance to try one of these wines. I will say again, some people will find this wine TERRIBLE. But you have to have the right mindset to try a wine like this, you will be rewarded with a great experience.
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12/31/2018 - nzinkgraf wrote:
NYE in MI with a crü. Savory and green olive palate. Pickle juice. Nice level of freshness, water weight, flint. SEEMLESS texture. Fuck, best white wine ever.
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9/12/2018 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
Light golden. Compared with the accompanying 1997, it was a bit thin. Standing on its own, it was lovely: Savory, with elegant and refreshing salinity. Hints of wax. Complex, but overall, on the lighter side. Others at the table questioned its provenance/ storage (At Porrue, Bilbao.)
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5/12/2018 - ohne_musik wrote: 97 Points
A singular wine. Seductive aromas of fresh beeswax, lanolin, honey, honeysuckle and other white flowers. Palate is so young and vibrant, with laser precision. Lemon, lemon peel, a bit of tangerine too. Well integrated coconut, a bit of American oak, and some oxidative nuttiness. Played super well with the super fresh fish at Shuko. Interestingly, the fish brought out some almost tannic structure to the wine - almost like a skin-contact fermented white. It’s a bit of a conjuring trick - it’s there with the fish, absent once the saline tang of the sushi recedes. The finish lasts and lasts, and as the last bottle did as well, it notably brought back an echo of the briny dashi, long after the fish was gone and we were just working on the wine. Fantastic stuff.
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3/29/2018 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 93 Points
This had lots of time in the glass. Fresh with good energy. Nutty lemon. ox. Palate shows nutty ox some bruised fruit. Bit of paraffin. Dry salty. Finish. Lemon. Minerals. Lots of power. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 16.5/20.
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12/9/2017 - Boone's Farm Likes this wine: 92 Points
Had this wine with Lobster at my house. Not sure if it paired well though others disagreed. Oxidized and mineral. Hints of lanolin and wild flowers. Very long on the palate. A very good wine
The wine looks yellow brown colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like flint, mineral, lemon, fig, walnut, butterscotch and sherry. It tastes like lemon, fig, apricot, mineral, stoniness, walnut and sherry. The body is medium. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity.
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11/24/2017 - Papies wrote: flawed
Sourced directly from the bodega, cellared with love for 5 years but TCA got the best of it. Like a kick in the nuts.
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11/11/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dry honey, wet oyster shell. Appealing accents of salinity and marigold. I liked this style more than others at the table did. Does yet display the elegance of the '73.
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11/10/2017 - SimonG wrote: 95 Points
Mature Rioja @ Medlar (Medlar, London): Same deep old gold. Richer on the nose with more caramel notes though fewer fruit one. A touch of lanolin too though less so than the 73 earlier in the week. More sibstance too. Nicely rich. Orange peel develops on the nose and palate with air. Top Tondo, but the nod goes to the 76 Murrieta. *****
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8/2/2017 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
100 Point (Parker or other) Wine Dinner Organized by Steve for 6 "Wine Guys" (The Prime Rib, Philadelphia): Before leaving Central NJ for Philadelphia I decanted this at about 1:30pm and gave it some air, tasting it to be sure it was actually drinkable then after and hour in the refrigerator put it back in the clean bottle to bring to the 100 point wine dinner. On first, smell and taste this was all lemon, almost like sipping lemon juice it was so high in acidity. By the time we started drinking it shortly after 6pm it had settled down but only partially. It was still dominated by the lemon and as I endeavored to get it there in good condition, it was initially too cold to get all the flavors out of it. After warming in the glass it was better and began to unfold its layers. The color was bright medium yellow with just a tinge of gold on the edge. The nose was ever so slightly oxidized without being bad at all. Lemon, dominated the nose and palate with a very bright/high acid mouth feel but it did show some caramel and honey notes in the mid palate and the finish had some herbal (lemongrass?) and slightly medicinal layers on the moderately long finish. No one else at the table had tasted this before and I think it was a good introduction to a long lived Spanish white wine to those present.
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8/27/2016 - Papies wrote: 96 Points
From the cellars of the the excellent Rekondo, San Sebastián .
Side by side with its younger sibling the 1991 ( Papies 95) and a masterclass of a wine. Fine, elegant, well evolved , good acidity still and shows no signs of slowing down albeit it definitely showed the evolution . Light oxidative , caramel note, dried fruits. 4 years when we had this last we said the nose of this wine is a voyage. A a beautiful one still. 95-96.
Please be aware of bottle variation caused by provenance.
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8/10/2016 - Lype Likes this wine: 93 Points
Oxidised heavy style, attractively sweet mouthfeel although a dry wine, peach, mango, cloudberry mash. A very special wine, one my favourites.
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7/29/2016 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Funky nose of varnish and minerals. Classic oily, honeyed texture with strong notes of smoky minerals and oxidized flavors of almonds, orange zest and ripe limestone. It builds to a grippy, succulent finish with notes of salted nuts, honeysuckle and caramel. Such a unique wine that matched beautifully with steamed lobster. 94+
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5/26/2016 - oldwines Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium golden yellow color. Very flinty knows with some honeysuckle and relatively high acidity noticeable on the nose. Moderately Rich on the palate and somewhat flat on the finish initially. With and hour of air it was a bit more generous and had a strong new oak finish with a good bit of apricot in the mid palate. Went perfectly with a crawfish bisque.
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5/19/2016 - LW31 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious. Incredible texture and depth. Smokey nose. Oxidative qualities as usual. Perfect spot to be drunk now. Fantastic with clam pizza of all things, needs richer notes to work with food.
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2/24/2016 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 95 Points
@NOPA, post-climbing.
Moderate plus concentration gold. Bright- a beautiful color. Almost glowing.
Incredibly well put together. Slight dill pickle, toasted coconut, butterscotch with a honey-toast like aged semillon. Slight ghostly floral notes (15% Malvasia). Tertiary notes of hazelnut, truffle.
The palate is seamless, medium plus bodied, moderate alcohol (only 12%! - seems like it has a touch more weight), with vibrant crystalline acidity (medium plus), and no bitterness. This was the epitome of integration. Super silky on the palate but with intensity and electricity.
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2/1/2016 - sunnylea57 wrote: 87 Points
Disappointing and not at all what I've come to expect from a Tondonia Blanco. Briny, awkward and unpleasant.
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1/16/2016 - Oh Dae-su wrote: 94 Points
Amazingly vital - not just for its age - and super complex.
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6/27/2015 - yofog wrote:
Massive, in both size and dimension. No development really since I last tried it six or seven years ago, if anything I think I may have caught it in a sleepy cycle, though it seemed to come back around toward the end of the night. One of the greats. Come back in 20 years.
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5/30/2015 - hackey37 wrote: 91 Points
The color is clear copper golden and smells like orange peel, vanilla, honey, and nutty aromas. The tastes are vanilla, sour apple, sea salt, almonds, and sweet spices. This is a complex wine with a long, zippy finish.
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2/14/2015 - stevegpg Likes this wine: 91 Points
First of 6 bottles. No decant (should have tho) Honey and pear on the nose, nice fruit on the mouth. Took about 45 minutes to fully bloom. Served at about 55 degrees. Really delicious wine.
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8/29/2014 - SimonG wrote: 94 Points
Spanish WIMPS 'Casa de Pilatos' (La Trompette, London): Far muter and rounder on the nose initially cf the 96 reserva, then opening up to a honeyed oatmeal. Mellow and serious rather than showy. Mineral through the mid-palate and a slightly chalky grip on the finish. Understated class.
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6/27/2014 - Los 12 Glotones Likes this wine: 92 Points
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Els12golafres Wine Tasting Group: http://vinosclasicos.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/vina-tondonia-1981-blanco-gran-reserva.html
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De color amarillo dorado-viejo, con mayor sensación de vejez que el resto de vinos de la misma gama (64, 68, 70, 73). Destellos brillantes, ambarinos. Límpido, formando gruesas lágrimas.
Aromas de gran integridad, concentrado, frutoso y maduro. Abundan las notas de membrillo escarchado, corteza de limón, orejones, melón galia, miel de naranjo, con un fondo a sal marina (que no llega a ser yodado pero lo recuerda) y un deje casi vegetal perfumado a laurel y hoja de olivo, muy fino pero que va ganando en intensidad al ir respirando el vino. Van y vienen unas notas medicinales a hierbas aromáticas, té verde, tallo de manzanilla, almendras amargas y un elegantísimo acento de anises estrellados, infusión, clavo... Un blanco ordenado y elegante, dotado de una profusión de detalles de calidad poco habitual, con sensaciones de plena madurez.
En boca nos damos cuenta que estamos ante un vino necesitado de muchos años de guarda, todavía crudo y por hacerse. El blanco con el presente más complicado pero con más futuro de la casa. Hay de todo y en cantidad pero sin acabar de integrarse y con falta de orden. Potente acidez, toneladas de fruta madura, cítricos deslumbrantes, amielados, tostados, finos amargosos, una nota balsámica que lo envuelve todo y una despiedada sequedad que nos da cuenta de estar ante un tipo duro de verdad. Con 20 o 30 años más será un vino legendario. No queda otra que esperar!!!
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85% viura, 15% malvasía - 12% vol.
Permanece durante 6 meses en depósitos de madera. Criado durante 6 años en viejas barricas de roble americano de 225 litros elaboradas por los toneleros de la misma bodega. El vino es sometido a 2 trasiegas manuales cada año. Clarificado con claras de huevo frescas. Embotellado directamente de la barrica en 1988. Sin filtrar. Lacrado especial para favorecer su mejor evolución en botella y preservarlo de contaminaciones. Producción limitada a 20.000 botellas. Descansa un mínimo de 44 meses en botellero antes de ser comercializado.
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6/24/2014 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: flawed
Pretty damn corked. AARGH!
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6/24/2014 - JAKurek wrote: flawed
Corked! Very depressing
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3/24/2014 - SimonG wrote: flawed
Rioja @ 28-50: Hugely advanced colour. Deep copper. Marmalade on the nose. Good attack, very drinkable but a shadow of what it should be. It's lost all it's mid-palate complexity and texture. If you didn't know the wine you'd probably be happy enough, but not what it should be. Mid (**)* at best.
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2/8/2014 - Wine Canuck wrote: 91 Points
Year 2 - Super Tasting 2 of 5 - Andrew does Rioja (Langdon Hall, Cambridge, ON): Powerful nose of beeswax, integrated dill/coconut american oak, melon, honey, wet wood and brown baking spices. Palate reveals a dusty attic note, with a fat mouthfeel. Acid is moderate to slightly low, with a finish that I found a tad short. Overall I appreciated the nose on this far more than the palate.
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2/8/2014 - Dave Canada wrote: 92 Points
Year 2 - Super Tasting 2 of 5 - Andrew does Rioja (Langdon Hall, Blair, Ontario): Very pretty nose.....really put together with wet wool, salted caramel, mushroom, flowers, burnt butter, wax, honey and melon.
The palate displayed lemon, nuts, caramel, saline, white flowers, wax, honey and earth. Really rich.
The finish is medium+ and quite complex....very nice wine.
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2/8/2014 - alittle wrote: 93 Points
Year 2; Tasting 2 of 5; Andrew does Rioja (1954-1994) (Red Room, Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Ontario): Popped and poured, followed approximately 2 hours. Golden colour in the glass. On the nose, crystalline honey, a touch of melon, florals, beeswax, light sherry/oxidative notes, mushroom, earth, roasted nuts, sandalwood, a touch of caramel, smoke, wet wool and dried herbs. On the palate, richly textured, dry, with tastes of honey, lemon zest, melon, light sherry, dried herbs and earth. At first this feels slightly deficient in acidity, but it really kicks in with a long, lingering lemon zest note. This was a very intellectual wine with a ton of complexity and interest. I preferred this to the younger 1991, but may be in the minority with that sentiment.
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10/8/2013 - Flavito wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic, just maturing. Will live forever, and provide long lasting, immensel pleasurable drinking. Definitely not for everyone, but a great food wine.
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6/29/2013 - Periko Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP. Bought at LdH on release. Shows a little reduction and initially it's more shy than the RSV91. With some air in glass it opens up more an more and offers a complex bouquet made of apricots and subtle honey along with that oxidative/sherry style typical of aged viura. On palate it's medium bodied (tasting this wine blind will puzzle and confuse you), quite dry, carrying a high acidity and a finish made of white fruit and citrus. It's so different and more rich and complex compared to the Reserva... it's elegant, intriguing, showing something different everytime I dared to sniff the glass or take another sip. An oxidative style that probably is not for everyone taste but that certainly won't leave anyone indifferent. A must try wine. An impressive effort with many years of life ahead. (92-94)
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5/18/2013 - drwine2001 wrote:
Two San Francisco Dinners with Charles; 5/17/2013-5/18/2013: Medium yellow without any browning. Right out of the bottle, a transient whiff of sherry, but then it became fresher and fresher over 2 hours with bright citrus. Waxy, vanilla feel and remarkable acidity. Always a hint of oxidation, but this remained in the background for the whole time we drank this. Singular wine, extremely enjoyable and interesting.
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5/11/2013 - ohne_musik wrote: 98 Points
Drank as the finale of a 4-day tondonia blanco bender in Basque Country.. First the 98 at nerue then the 91 at Mugaritz, and finally the 81 at Arzak.
This was the pinnacle of Rioja blanco for me. A 32 year old dry white in peak condition is a serious treat. It was theme and variation, playing pasodoble with the dishes of the evenin with perfect Spanish verve and pinpoint accuracy. It conjured phantoms and did magic tricks that left me smirking well after each taste.
At first open, the nose was elusive and tight. Not as forward with the tropical fruit as the 91' and tasted delicate and I worried that it was faded glory and past its prime. Had the Velvety and waxy texture so characteristic of tondonia, but the structure seemed to have disappeared. It opened up over the next hour or so, but it wasn't until the food started coming that it showed its true colors. First, with the egg and cheese variations, a raciness and edge appeared that I hadn't noticed before, carefully playing a well-demarcated, almost academic counterpoint to the idiazabal, crispy milk, and other lactic elements of the plate.
Next, a lobster dish with hemp bread and mustard vinaigrette. This is where the when blew the doors off and did some cirque du soliel crazy acrobatics. The interplay with the lobster roe was nothin short of extraordinary. Long after (10+ minutes) I had consumed the roe, post dressed salad, post bread, the tondonia continued to evoke the umami sea essence of the roe, bringing it back to my palate, not as a will-o-wisp or ghost, but as a full on hallucination. The mineral slightly saline aspects of the wine married land and sea in a way that I had never experienced. It later repeated the trick with the sole with sea vegetables and sour blossoms.
As amazing as that was, it was the pairing with the pigeon that stole the show. Here it displayed a musculature that caused me to almost get up and dance. The wine's interplay with the bitter and sour citrus components, the magnificently concentrated porcini gelee, and the rich minerality of the game, like a maestro taming a feisty orchestra.
I can only describe this wine in musical terms, it was like the albeniz's Iberia. THe evocation is melacholic, filled with past glory, and reveals none of what is to come, the brilliance and genius of Corpus Christi, lavapies and Eritania.
I have a hard time imagining a more special white. Utterly unique and singular.
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4/29/2013 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Keith P @ Trompette (La Trompette, London): Bright gold. Waxy, lanolin nose. Rich and concentrated, seems too rich for a Rioja, so maybe northern Rhone? Don't think it's Semillon etc. no, turns out to be Rioja after all, well done Tom, so Tondonia, and judging by colour and freshness, 81? Yes. Really very good, plenty of depth and interest and managing to combine interest and freshness. Lovely. ****
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4/9/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 91 Points
Classic oxidized style with an intense, dry, minerally finish. It has a waxy texture with flavors of honey and spices and mature nutty notes on the finish. This actually tightened up in the glass and became less oxidized and more expressive with time open but I still liked this a little better a few years ago.
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3/18/2013 - ksigerman wrote: 91 Points
This continues my love affair with Lopez de Heredia. Deep golden color. Holding up incredibly well for a white wine this old. Classic briny, oxidative flavors. Nose comes off with apricot and peach. Surprising acidity on the palate. Lots of nuttiness, especially on the finish, which is a bit shorter than I would have wanted but still substantial. Needed some air, so I recommend decanting for an hour or so before serving.
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3/16/2013 - Biskuit Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was rocking. Got some coffee notes on the nose at one point, very cool.
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9/7/2012 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Sourced from the Bodega. Top shoulder level. Good cork.
Special wine and of the oxitative style so its a question of do you like the style.
The nose on this wine is a voyage. You can keep going back and back, the complexity , the waxy notes, honey notes. Such a beautiful nose. It lacks a bit of depth on the palate unforunately but a still, vibrant and with a decent life ahead of it. 93 easy
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8/1/2012 - Rollerball wrote: 95 Points
Candied citrus nose. The palate citrus and mushroom wax. And then it Demon Drops into a colder, charged, twirling comfort-bath of ocean, pits, preserved lemon oil, green banana, and peach-cream, and finally a memory of hard lemon candy.
Follow up 9/6/14. I rated this a 93 at the time but made an unprecedented move (for me) and raised its score since I'm still fantasizing about it two years later.
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6/12/2012 - caeleric Likes this wine:
drank at 11 south with drycab, hollowell and donna. pnp.
no notes taken. too many glasses guzzled, and pretty hazy this morning. remember it being waxy and rife with aromas and flavors that i cannot begin to describe. unlike anything i've ever had, and while it was good, and i marked that i liked it, i'm not in a hurry to have it again. still lively and kicking, though i don't see it getting any better.
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6/6/2012 - AMRS wrote: 90 Points
Not as fresh as the 1991, but still holding. The nose is a bit heavy for me, full bodied, pretty mature fruit. At this age it is still drinking very well. Impressive but lacks finesse to be more. 90.
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5/16/2012 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Lopez de Heredia Vertical, with Maria Jose Lopez de Heredia (The Sampler, South Ken, London): 10yr in Barrel and 100% 1981 vintage. Golden yellow in colour. Very bright and glossy! Hints of honey, oxidation, citrus notes. Rich, dense complex and very long. Vibrant and very much alive with a long life ahead of it. This is a superb wine and one we would look to buy. Best in the white line up. 93 and drink from now but with a long life ahead.
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5/7/2012 - manonthemoon wrote: 93 Points
Heredia Tasting; 5/7/2012-5/8/2012 (Palena, Washington, DC): This was served as the first white of the group.
N Honeycomb, wax, seashells.
P Honeycomb, wax, rubber, seashells, and minerals.
F AA in length and still good acidity for a 31 year old bottle, actually improved with more air IMO.
92-93
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5/3/2012 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Wine dinner with work colleagues (Medlar, Chelsea, London): Big, fascinating wine, with dried fruit, resin, damp and sharp, ever-changing, exciting bite - super
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4/21/2012 - jkoenen wrote: 88 Points
Dreamtasting #4 (Restaurant de Watermolen, Kasterlee): Light straw yellow in colour. A placid, timid, soft fragrance flows out of the glass. Exquisite oak, dried flowers and fruits, tobacco, polished mahogany desk, beeswax and peat. On the palate this is extremely tight, sourish, with razor sharp focus. This might even be too much, some called it thin, meagre and fierce. Although it turned softer, deeper and more friendly in due time, I still was disappointed because I had high hopes for this wine. 16.5/20
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4/20/2012 - Garrett Pierce wrote: 98 Points
Golden, damp fungal beauty. Lopez whites are always my fave, but when they age like this...there is none better.
My birth year.
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3/7/2012 - Harley1199 wrote:
López de Heredia - Vińa Tondonia (Enoteca Barolo - Madrid): Golden colour, Sherry-like, Manzanilla Pasada even. Closed so very oily... anchoives, sofa wharves!
What a bottle on the palate, long yet acidic enough to keep it alive for many years.
Superior class here. 30 years old wine and still running.
Color drado, ajerezado, incluso a Manzanilla Pasada. Cerrado así que muy aceitoso,... anchoas, ¡muelles de sofá!
Menuda botella en boca, larga pero lo suficientemente ácida para mantenerla viva por muchos años.
De clase superior. Un vino de 30 años y todavía con recorrido.
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1/18/2012 - wickedwax wrote:
Aromas of baked apples, caramel, baking spices, honey and almonds. Medium-plus bodied with good acidity, especially for being 30 years old. Rounded with good depth and concentration, it finishes with very good length. Quite a special treat.
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1/15/2012 - Zweder wrote:
Dark yellow. Very spicy bouquet with limestone minerality and a bit oxidized impressions. On the palate also some oxidized impressions, but also good minerality. Overall a bit meager and quite drying in the finish. My score would be well below 90 and seeing the other scores in CT I wonder if we had an off bottle; so no score. The other tasters were quite disappointed about this wine as well.
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12/30/2011 - peterchoy wrote: 93 Points
Appearance: Bright and clear, medium (-) gold, with watery rims and legs
Nose: Clean, medium (+) intensity and developing aromas of cooked lemon, almond, hazelnut, mushroom, wax, savory, cereal.
Palate: Dry and of medium acidity, with medium alcohol and medium (+) body, the wine has medium (+) intensity flavors of cooked lemon, savory, mushroom, almond, forest floor, wax. The wine has a supple texture and harmonious impression, with medium (+) length.
Conclusion: Very good Rioja white showing good balance, with intense nose and palate showing well developed ageing characters. Good complexity with mainly tertiary aromas and flavours but still possess some citrus notes, with a good long length. Ready to drink now but has potential for ageing of another 4-6 years.
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10/8/2011 - mattsix wrote:
Aged perfectly, almonds, lychee, yeasty and funky. Very very good
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9/25/2011 - JOsgood wrote:
Awesome. Very waxy. Coats the mouth and finishes long.
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6/20/2011 - dream wrote: 94 Points
Just a fantastic wine and combined beautifully with freshly-schucked oysters. Classic oxidized style with lovely flavors of spicy honey and a wonderful nuttiness. Finishes round and complex with strong mineral notes. I love this juice and it only gets batter with further aging. Amazing and a real crowd-pleaser today if someone is open to something unique and different.
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6/3/2011 - manonthemoon wrote: 92 Points
30th Birthday at Palena; 6/2/2011-6/5/2011 (Palena, Washington, DC): N: Candy apply, carmel, honey, wax
P: Candy apple, carmel, honey, beeswax, pears, still some acidity.
F: The finish was long and the wine was excellent considering the age.
Overall this wine was fantastic, so much of a change of pace between the other two wines. Love it. 91-92
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6/3/2011 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 92 Points
Brett's Epic Birthday Tasting (Palena - Washington, DC): this white rioja is almost orange in color at this point in its evolution. the nose shows honey nut cheerios, caramel apples and some sherry. the palate is rich and bold with honeyed pears, graham crackers, caramel apple. but i found the acid to be fresh and lively. only slightly oxidized, and i think it really increases the complexity of this wine. this wine seemed so young. i couldn't believe it was 30 years old. still going strong, this was indeed a memorable wine for a memorable event.
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3/23/2011 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: 92 Points
Light golden hay. Full nose - wood, grainy, hay wax with a little brulee/sweetness. Chewy on the palate with lots of hay and harvest flavors - tastes golden. Very focused with bright acid, and a solid acidic finish. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 16/20.
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2/28/2011 - Mistress of Wine wrote:
Dark gold. Very nose with minimal oxidative notes. A very hard wine to characterize. Prominent aromas of herbs and chartreuse. Also honey, almonds, petrol and wax. Very dry and impossibly long on the finish. Pleasing as well as distinctive.
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2/19/2011 - manonthemoon wrote: 92 Points
Really beautiful color. Nose had lots of almonds and nuts with some honey, and a little oxidation. Palate was excellent with more honey, lemon, some herbs, and wax going on. There wasn't too much acidity left, but for a 30 yr old white wine I would expect it to show much acid.
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2/19/2011 - tooch wrote: 90 Points
30th Birthday Dinner (Ardeo, Washington DC): Golden color in the glass. Nose was exotic and absolutely gorgeous. Hazelnut and almond oil tones dominated the perfume, but there was also a nice floral lift and a touch of sherry. Palate was round and lush with great lemon and herbs woven throughout. The finish was lacking some acidity for my palate, but this is a fine wine.
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8/29/2010 - W.Simons wrote:
Captivating nose this time. Easily the best experience I've had with this wine. Incredibly fresh peach aspect along with a zesty lemon character on the palate. Certainly has the oxidative notes, but they seem almost in the background. Full bodied but extremely energetic. Very, very impressive showing.
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6/4/2010 - SimonG wrote:
Keith's Blind Challenge Offline (The Square, London): Blind. White. Deep gold. Another oxidative style. Quite waxy, slightly oily texture. Somewhere in the northern rhone? No, not waxy enough and this has more acidity - possibly a Tondonia now? *** Ooh, sneaky, this appeared at last year's challenge too.
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5/31/2010 - Mistress of Wine wrote:
Dark yellow with good fill. Initially not very forthcoming but with aeration, aromas of hazelnut, mineral, honey and herbs (chartreuse-like). Though it reminded us of dry sherry in some ways, the aromatics were quite different. Didn't get oxidative notes. Very fresh with a long amd dry finish. A unique wine that we were happy to taste, but would not run out to buy again.
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5/15/2010 - DaleW wrote:
Good acids, nutty, yellow fruit, brown sugar (though of course fully dry). Revisited on train (I took home the final few ounces) it was more herbal and vibrant, I liked at dinner, loved on train (of course by then my palate was shot). At dinner I put down B+
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4/3/2010 - Jossik wrote: 85 Points
Personalmente mi sono piaciute molto le note mielose/erbacee di erbe fini al naso, ed anche la bocca ben presente. Altri hanno gradito meno. Ovviamente su toni molto ossidativi.
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3/28/2010 - Vinomane wrote: 88 Points
A disappointment, although better than the last specimen, which seemed fake or reconditioned. Oxidative, of course, it freshens a bit after 30 minutes, but not enough. Still my least favorite Lopez white to date. The 1989 plain Tondonia reserva blanco drunk beside it, always reliable, was twice as good at half the price. I'm not sorry this was my last bottle of the 1981.
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3/27/2010 - mdefreitas wrote: 83 Points
Like Totally 80s @ Home (CT): I figured this would be a little oxidated, which is why I paired it with a chestnut soup. Indeed this did have a nutty/oxidated character, but perhaps a bit much for me. Some citrus, with a sour element to it. This did seem to freshen up and "awake" with air, but I never really warmed up to it. Interesting.
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1/30/2010 - cgrimes wrote: 92 Points
Similar to my previous note. After all the controversy about the label differences and fill levels, the wine in both bottles was equally good with only slight variation.
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1/4/2010 - rob1869 wrote: 90 Points
Sadly not the same experience as the bottle a the Sampler. More old oak, oxidative-style, a bit sharper. Less greaceful and delicate. But still very long and fluctuating. Just a bit more tiring to drink too. The other 2 I bought are browner than this one, which does not bode well...
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12/11/2009 - Rupert wrote: 91 Points
Rather different from the last bottle: more oxidative, fuller and rounder and with less bite on entry, sharp, savoury, earthy, plenty of intrigue
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11/19/2009 - don_quichotte wrote: 93 Points
Pale yellow color. Herbasceous. Citrus and asparagus on the nose. You'd never call this as a 28 years old wine.
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11/18/2009 - Rupert wrote: 94 Points
An evening of López de Heredia wines (Islington, London): Fine oaky nose, light bodied, but the combination of the saltiness, the sharpness and the oak is riveting, very exciting wine
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10/4/2009 - rob1869 wrote: 94 Points
(Tasted at The Sampler). Surprisingly relatively un-oxidised style here. Very comfortably NOT sherry. Light gold. The oak is not dark or old but light and gently spiced. A bright, delicate entry; it has a very classy very fine finish which goes on and on, with aromas of light oak tumbling over herbs and spices I struggled to pin down. One of the best white wines I've tasted.
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9/3/2009 - vindictive wrote:
An interesting wine that improved with time in the glass. Fairly light-bodied and dry with grassy, herbaceous scents. This would be a good bottle to explore over a fish or chicken dinner with plenty of time for contemplation. Very interesting and certainly much better than the Lopez red wines.
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8/1/2009 - ews3 wrote: 90 Points
Spain and Portugal Tasting (Casa Roberts): quince and a hint of oxidation. toasted almond notes. medium(+) finish. reminds me of a nice aged loire chenin blanc (but at 4x the price, not worth it) Bottle was in very nice shape (sourced from PJ)
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8/1/2009 - jrobs7777 wrote: 89 Points
Spain and Portugal (2033 Brandywine): This is a good solid white Rioja, but these are definitely not up my alley. Fresh for such an old and oxidized wine. Some floral and mineral notes peaking through. Nutty and salty. Subtle fruit. I did not get too much. A touch of sweetness. Green tea? A very nice finish. Well made, but the white Rioja flight was not my cup of tea.
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7/24/2009 - SimonG wrote:
Keith's Blind Challenge (The Square, London): Keith's Blind Challenge. Far darker, light golden colour. Waxy, lanolin and apple nose. Light attack, quite hollow in the middle but comes back on the finish. Reminiscent of an old chenin blanc. ***1/2
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6/27/2009 - Alex G. wrote:
No danger of fading, plenty of fruit. Good length and finish, very pretty golden color. Reminiscent of a dry white Bordeaux, just slightly sweeter.
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6/25/2009 - cgrimes wrote: 92 Points
NSMFOW June '09--Thirtheeth Anniversary Dinner (The Grapevine, Salem, MA): Color of a carmelized sugar syrup. Nose of almonds and white fruits. Palate very fresh, mildy sherried, with nice fruit peaking out from the nuttiness. Nice minerality. Great acidity. My second experience with an aged white rioja. stevetimko brought one to the Seattle Cellarpalooza last year, and I was completely unprepared for the experience, and therefore did not appreciate it fully. This is a truly lovely wine. Would be nice with paella. Brought by Al and Anita.
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6/18/2009 - LoireFan wrote: 92 Points
I like this. Maybe 93.
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5/3/2009 - brooklynguy wrote:
Local Seafood Dinner: Beautiful wine. Such freshness, it honestly defies its 28 years. Ripe fruit shows through, underneath almonds, a floral hint, and saline breeze. Great acidity too . Texture is rich and unctuous but totally light and graceful. This wine is a great experience, pure pleasure, both hedonistic and intellectual.
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4/25/2009 - Tim Heaton wrote: flawed
(mildly) corked and (mildly) oxidized. The fruit struggled to push through, and the obvious weight of the wine on the mid palate suggested I missed something really special. The bottle got drained though and some really liked it with Carlos' paella. Approx $100
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3/5/2009 - salil wrote: 93 Points
Lopez de Heredia dinner at Troquet (Boston, MA): Bright golden colour with a fantastic nose that starts out showing hazelnut, toasted almonds, orange marmalade, brown sugar and some faintly sherried notes. The palate isn't as sweet or nutty as the nose leads one to imagine with a rich velvety texture, buttery melon and quince flavours over a salty mineral character and finishing with a streak of coconut flavours on the back end. Complex and fascinating to sit with over time, developing first some petrol like elements and later mustard seed notes after a couple of hours.
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2/1/2009 - herberto wrote: 96 Points
Color is a brown-tinged yellow. A bit of funk on the nose and palate just after the first pour, but blew off quickly. Nose is wonderfully complex, transporting. And wonderfully fresh - hard to believe the juice was harvested 28 years ago. On the palate, is crisp and fresh and concentrated. This is wonderfully complex and nuanced - each sip is a trip down a river of flavors. Slightly oxidized, but adds to the complexity. Finish is long. Was very sad when this bottle was finished. One of the most interesting and best white wines I've had recently.
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1/5/2009 - hoob wrote:
Truffles, walnuts, butter that's been too long in the fridge. A wonderful, unique wine.
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12/21/2008 - yofog wrote: 95 Points
Apricot, peach, almond, and fresh, sauteed mushrooms. Enormous length. The bottle stood open on my desk in my overheated dorm room for a week and barely showed any (more) oxidation. Could age much longer. As it sits in the glass it changes constantly, and one gets the impression that it is a living thing with a real personality. Truly a fine wine.
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11/19/2008 - dream wrote: 94 Points
Ripe, succulent, flavorful old world white. Just fantastic
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7/31/2008 - joshwoodward wrote: 89 Points
Malvasia grapes. Definitely an oldie, but still has a hint of freshness to it! Juicy, nice acidity, not sweet. Light cookie. Medium body. Light pineapple. Darkish straw yellow. Honey, spices. Christmasy. Blindfold me and I might think this was a light red. Spicy. Very interesting and cool! Kicking myself for not buying it for $30. :-/
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7/31/2008 - Krugsters wrote: 95 Points
Utterly delicious. Notes of pineapple, creme caramel along with some nuttiness with a nose to match. No funk at all, smooth, luscious and nicely weighted. I would have this again and again if it wasn't 80 bucks a bottle. One of my all time favorites.
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4/9/2008 - 5laton wrote:
López de Heredia dinner (Orson, San Francisco): Remarkably perfumed wine, with potent aromas of butterscotch, coconut, and lemon rind. (Looking back at what I just wrote, I felt that I should add that it smelled nothing like a Pina Colada.) Bone dry, with good acidity. Absolutely palate-coating. Expansive on the midpalate with a finish that lasts for minutes. Amazing.
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3/31/2008 - W.Simons wrote:
Excellent. Fino sherry notes on the nose with bitter apple, roasted nuts and earth. Aromas of mustard greens, and rosemary. On the palate, burnt orange peel, bitter almonds and lemon zest. Rich without too much weight, has a long finish, strong acidity, and a seemingly limitless number of years of life left. Gradually, pollen and anise coming forward in bouquet.
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3/12/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 88 Points
I'll never understand how they make these taste so fresh with all the oxidativeness it goes through in the winemaking process. Despite the quarter-century of bottle age the fruit profile here is amazingly light in complexion and almost sumptuous, as though it had a filling of lemon custard and vanilla cream. More restrained and civilized and not as pungent or funky in scent as the '89 - but not as exciting, for the same reason.
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2/23/2008 - CS_pikes wrote: flawed
Oxidized
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12/31/2007 - scamhi wrote:
funky start, musty nose, totally blew off and took on weight, lovely butterscotch and apricot. Good acid a wow wine.
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12/16/2007 - Wicker Parker wrote:
This is astonishingly fresh for a 25 year old wine and certainly less oxidized than I had expected. Sure, there are nut and earth notes here but I would hardly call this madierized (not a knock in my book, btw -- I use different terms for "over the hill") and it's actually vivacious. Spry. Creamy and deep rather than oily and slick. There's still some yellow fruit here, albeit not much. Wonderful, wonderful stuff; nothing like it.
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8/27/2007 - Vinho wrote:
Destaques da Vini Vinci 2007; 8/27/2007-8/28/2007: PI. Nariz inicialmente um pouco alcoólico, lembrando whisky. Muito seco, acidez elevada, fruta ainda presente mas evoluída, notas de mel e frutos secos. Final com traço oxidativo que não apareceu com essa intensidade nos outros. Muito longo. Precisa ser provado com mais calma. 91-92pts.
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7/23/2007 - br wrote:
exotic sherry notes open up into endless aromas of butterscotch. very much alive and enticing with snappy structure and lively mouthfeel. I loved this wine and it still has many years to go.
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6/8/2007 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 92 Points
First white Rioja. First white of this age. First white with this color.....lots of firsts for me here. Wasnt sure if the bottle was slightly corked or not. Didn't bother any of my dinner guests though - everyone really loved it. Some really intense maderization here. So much caramel, someone suggested it was similar to a dessert wine. Might want to try again.
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5/25/2007 - caboychuck wrote: 91 Points
Bought at the winery about a year and a half ago. Golden in color. Gorgeous nose of peaches, quince, a little lemon zest, and nutty. Nose reminded me of scents found in botrytisized wines. On palate this wine is dry and crisp with flavors of lemon. It has beautiful mature flavors but still lively. This has a lot of life left.
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5/6/2007 - dream wrote: 94 Points
Madeirized yellow color. Madeirized nose with notes of honey and minerals. Gorgeous oily mouthfeel with delicious nutty flavors and notes of honey and spice. Deliciously complex on the long, saturated finish. This is a totally different style of wine that is amazingly youthful but also slightly madeirized at the same time - it's like it's clean and pure but biologically screwed up all at once. Distinct and delicious.
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2/6/2007 - 60ouvrees wrote:
From the color it appears to be oxydized but this bottle is far from dead. Still full of vigor and totally unique, those looking for a different white wine experience will want to taste this wine. Rich, nutty and complex yet the excellent acidity prevents it from being at all heavy. Really enjoyed this.
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1/6/2007 - br wrote:
fresh acidity, creamy, nutty, a bit of citrus and chick peas. very nice and after a while opened up with some sweet vanilla. fascinating and unique.
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3/29/2006 - amateurwino wrote: 87 Points
Had this at the Astor tasting of Spanish wines since the 50's. This was an interesting white, had notes of butterscotch, and was unlike any white I've ever had. Hard for me to say more, because medication affected my taste buds, but this was neat to try. $74/btl
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1/11/2006 - Mlermontov wrote: 89 Points
Spain: Night 4- Antonio Perez (Granada): This was the one wine that was trully hard to judge today (improper glasses+needs more air time)... but with time it was able to open up and offer some more fruit, apples, slighly oxydised style, but with lovely acidity and very refreshing.
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11/22/2003 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 91 Points
Gorgeous evolved nose. Light and delicate. Clearly showing its age. Immensely elegant. Dry, nutty.
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10/10/2003 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 84 Points
Touch corky on the nose. Vanilla cream nose. Light. Fairly elegant. Not overly impressive. I suspect this would show much better on its own or amid a rather smaller selection that this walkround. Good.
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