Pues ya van quedando menos cosas del siglo pasado en la cava... este reserva de Tondonia cumple con los estereotipos. Rubí de media capa con ribete atejado. nariz intensa, expresiva, con un desarrollado bouquet que incluye cueros viejos, fruta licorosa, matices especiados... En boca tiene buen ataque, pasa fluido, con un tanino delicado y bien integrado, estructura ligera, notable frescura y muy buen persistencia.
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This wine has aged beautifully,, backbone still surprisingly acidic and still few years left,, integrated and very smooth tannins. The nose is superb!! I’m a big fan!
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Lighter garnet. Nose of dried cherry, leather, iodine, caramel. Notes of tangy raisin-like red berry fruit cut with leather, cinnamon, bits of tar, and musk. Lower acidity and buried tannin, leading to a longer finish of red fruit and earth. Unexpectedly great pairing with bread pudding at the meal's end.
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Pnp, decanted, strong fragrance of dark fruit, caramel, on the palate blackberry, licorice, spicy, nuts, very energetic on the midpalate, a mouthfull of tinto, evaluates with decanting to a focused bottle with some depth, ending long+ with still demanding acidity, give this wine a decent decant to enjoy now, will benefit from some 5+ years in the cellar, **(*-+ -*?)
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López de Heredia en versión reserva absolutamente abierto y desenvuelto, en muy buen momento de salud. Se presenta inicialmente con predominio de aromas de fina reducción, maderas elegantes, a la que se suma notas de fruta roja muy madura, membrillo escarchado y un fondo avainillado apenas roto por esos tostados tan de la casa que recuerdan trasiegos y foudres envinados. Lo mires por donde lo mires, Tondonia por los cuatro costado. Caramelo medicinal, miel, menta, lavanda, herbolario, que van dando espacio paso a paso a notas de orden animal, a pesebre, esparto. Complejo, sí, pero también austero y muy atractivo!!! Va ganando en intensidad al respirar aunque con la sensación de estar todavía un poco costreñido. Necesitará de tiempo, para variar...
En boca impacta. Se agarra como una mala cosa, concentrado, de fuertísima acidez, vivísimo, acídulo, sin piedad. Los taninos aún algo ásperos, marcados, en el impás de integrarse en un conjunto acedrado, casi tostado, difícil de definir. Lejos de ser un vino elegante tiene toda la clase que es capaz de otorgar la bodega a sus vinos. Dentro de unos años podemos estar ante uno de los mejores reserva. Tiempo al tiempo!!
- - - Wine Info - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 75% tempranillo, 15% garnacho, 10% mazuelo y graciano - 12.5% vol. Uva vendimiada a mano. Fermentación en viejas tinas de roble de 60 hectolitros sin control de temperatura. Seis años de crianza en barricas usadas de roble americano de 225 litros. Sometido a 2 trasiegas nanuales cada año. Clarificación con claras de huevos frescos. Embotellado sin filtrar. 250.000 botellas elaboradas. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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While this is my favorite Spanish wine, this bottle was a bit oxidized. Previous two bottles were corked. The 2008 bottle was sensational. Amazing purity and evolves in the glass with each sip. A tantalizing earthy bouquet and lingering finish.
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A beautiful wine that's still much too young, but with great promise. Strawberry, herbs de provence and some floral notes (lavender) on the nose. Palatewise this is a baby not showing all its cards, but it's pleasurable with the floral presence repeating on the palate. Give this at least 10 more years.
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Veyr nice nose of sour cherry, cranberry, spices. Medium intensity and perfumed. The taste is cherry and cranberry with a nice long juicy finish. Only flaw is the slightly acidic taste otherwise it would be even more enjoyable.
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Medium red in color. The nose is somewhat musty with sour cherry and herb. A great old world nose. I am definitely enjoying the traditional style Riojas, like this one. There is plenty of acid and minerality to make this a great food pairing wine. The flavors are light red fruit, a bit of caramel, and herbs. The wine finishes with a nice sherry note. A fun change of pace from the predominant style.
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I have had a few bottles of this recently. This one had a beautiful nose when I opened it. We decanted it, and the acidity was week and the earthiness was almost caramelized. This one was past its prime, which was not my experience with the others that I drank recently. I will be more reluctant to decant in the future.
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I think, with Lopez de Heredia, either it speaks to you or it doesn't. I found this pretty briliant, especially at the price point. Wonderful acidity and earth. Similar in weight and style to a good villages Burgundy. Haunting.
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A pale wine all around - pale in color (albeit quite attractive), pale nose, pale flavor. Unimpressive for Rioja, reminded me more of a Pinot Noir. Perhaps past its prime? Not worth the price.
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Drinking this way too young, but already you can see the long term potential of this wine. Lovely, delicate light colour. Nose - dry cherries, strawberry, earthy, funky aromas and a delicate touch of vanilla. In the mouth this has an austere, rigid backbone of dry tannins that really set this wine up for serious long-term aging. Notes of rusty metal, apple skin on the mid-palate. There is a musty, Chateau Musar-like quality to this wine. In a world where everything in wine is turned up to 11 these days, this is a reminder that sometimes reducing the volume is for the better. Elegant, structured, young, complex. Wonderful stuff.
Edit: 5 hours later - this has put on weight - much more pronounced notes of figs, orange skin. Slightly watery on the mid-palate but then those teeth-drying tannins kick in again. I would suggest leaving this wine for another 4-5 years to let it soften out, but if you feel tempted this is a great food wine that needs good Spanish food as an accompaniment
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nose - sour plum, and oak, maybe a hint of sherry mouth - cherry, strawberry, and caramelized orange - the fruit is not forceful but rather subtle. Good acidity which tickles the tip of the tongue from the very fist contact and lasts the whole swallow. Complex sherry and oak flavors on the midpalate followed by very fine tannins. Excellent overall mouthfeel - perhaps this is the point of having it hibernate for a decade before release. Very Elegant - but beware fans of fruit bombs (or fruit forward wine to be more neutral) this may not be your cup of tea. Paired very nicely with beet stew. Blinded I could be fooled into thinking this a Burgundy.
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One of my favorite producers, but a very poor showing. Very soft flavors but very short on finish and relatively unexpressive on the nose. Strange... Maybe a flawed bottle? No rating given.
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España Tasting (Wine Exchange. Orange, CA): Translucent ruby/orange color. Dark, rich smells of licorice and old wood. Good nose concentration. Nice acidity and medium tannins (could continue to age for at least 5+ years). Not very strong fruits. Refined and delicate flavor, yet tough woodiness. Length of 20+ secs. Could use more concentration and complexity. This is the current release (1999 in 2009).
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Casual night @ PMC's (Franklin, MA): A baby still. Garnet colored. This was tight and unyielding at first. After an hour of two of air, pretty, yet reserved, notes of raspberry, red cherries, leather and sweet spices were coaxed out of the glass. Some vanilla and spice lingers in the end. This needs quite a few more years to start showing something interesting.
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Had this at a restaurant in Palma de Mallorca.Very thin on the fruitiness,with almost no developed aromas.Simply a flat and dull wine.Perhaps it was flawed in some way,badly stored for example.Did not seem to be corked though.
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Singular, interesting, positive nose. It's of the echelon where there's something different with every sniff. Floral cherry. Mint and liquorice. Minor old leather. Polish and liqueur. Old strawberry. Then back to the mint, cedar and vanilla vein. I called correctly as Rioja. Some acidity... quite a lot actually. Nicely bitter, and that is its signature. Paradoxically there's sweet chocolate in the finish. A chrysalis feel: a nice wine for drinking now which should show diverse interest for 1-2 decades! 91 pts now.
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The aromas promised much. Lovely developed tertiary notes of leather, meat juices and undergrowth. And still some fruit in the background. However palate was verging on vinegar stage. Sadly past its best. Given other cellartrackers have opened good bottles of this wine recently, I have labelled this one as flawed.
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A staggerly haunting wine, I begged for a second sip at the tasting. Again, very young like the 1987 Tondonia Gran Reserva - with the same backbone and punch. The savory notes are at the forefront, with so much complexity you could fill a tome pontificating on its merits. In turns elegant, yet powerful.
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Tasted let breath for 1 hour. then finished the bottle 5 hours later. Didnt change much after the initial hour of being open, very smooth wine, had some tannins. Tasted along with a Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva "Grandi Annate" 1999 also, the italian wine had better finish smoother tannins , but the Tondonia had more of a interesting bouquet, more barnyard.
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Very secondary with cigar-store notes of cedar, old tobacco and hints of prune-like fruit. Medium- body, medium+ acidity, with just a touch of fine tannin on the finish.
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Medium red to tawny. Volatile, dill pickle aromatics-just all exaggerated new oak and frankly unappealing. It does have some sweeter red fruit than the nose suggests, but this is not saying much, as the overall impression is still meager and astringent. Poor and a big disappointment knowing how wonderful Lopez de Heredia wines can be. Ticking this one off as "flawed" would be giving it a huge benefit of the doubt which I'm not so sure it deserves.
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Clear, rustic ruby core that leads out to a light brick rim. This wine is showing maturity. The nose is clean with a strong fruit concentration of raspberry juice and strawberry with some light plum. Mild oak spice are well integrated with a bit of brett and well steeped black tea/earl grey aromas. On the palate the wine is dry, moderate + acid with forward tart fruit intensity of sour cherry, raspberry and green garden berry flavors. Tannins are very dry but not overly intrusive. As in the nose, the oak is well integrated and gives off nice humidor, leather and Christmas spice flavors. Alc is smooth and subtle a perfect bill for the moderate sized body of this wine. Long delicate finish of leather and cherry mingles with cream. Excellent to Outstanding Quality. Drinking at the height of its game now. Should hold (not mature) through to 2013.
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Very old style Rioja. Lots tannins (not well integrated), acidity and residual wood. Rough and plenty. A different ride away from modern wines. Good to cope with roasted lamb and very tasty foods. Do not look for refinement and finesse
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Color rubí, borde teja, anaranjado. Aroma cuero, notas animales, especiado, crianza. Boca redondo, sabroso, especiado, sedoso paso pela boca, delicado, viva acidez. Um Rioja mucho clássico pero poco interesante.
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Very clear and clean burgundy in color with a dark cherry and black earth nose. In the mouth, this wine light and nicely integrated with firm tannins and bright, vibrant acidity, showing bucketfuls of rich black cherry flavors. This is a lovely, bold, yet straightforward wine just calling for grilled lamb chops! 4/5
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Dusty brown color like the fender of forgotten automobile. Spicy cherry nose with anise, and old cabin’s wood. Very soft in the mouth with a cinnamon coating over everything. Cherry notes, cinnamon, and light spices, mingle with a fresh acidity. Very light wine, with no need for a second more of age, just a grill and some friends. 4/5
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1/6/2024 - RogerWine76 wrote:
Kändes som den var lite för gammal. Men kul att prova. Den låg på närmare 3500kr när vi kollade
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12/27/2021 - PacoHigon Likes this wine:
Pues ya van quedando menos cosas del siglo pasado en la cava... este reserva de Tondonia cumple con los estereotipos. Rubí de media capa con ribete atejado. nariz intensa, expresiva, con un desarrollado bouquet que incluye cueros viejos, fruta licorosa, matices especiados... En boca tiene buen ataque, pasa fluido, con un tanino delicado y bien integrado, estructura ligera, notable frescura y muy buen persistencia.
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3/22/2019 - Danielgbm Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine has aged beautifully,, backbone still surprisingly acidic and still few years left,, integrated and very smooth tannins. The nose is superb!! I’m a big fan!
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10/8/2018 - gukarl wrote: 91 Points
Flott duft av lyse, røde bør, noe rips, lite hint av edelt treverk. Fin sursøt frukt og lang syrlig avslutning, elegant stil.
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11/5/2017 - DougLee wrote: 90 Points
Lighter garnet. Nose of dried cherry, leather, iodine, caramel. Notes of tangy raisin-like red berry fruit cut with leather, cinnamon, bits of tar, and musk. Lower acidity and buried tannin, leading to a longer finish of red fruit and earth. Unexpectedly great pairing with bread pudding at the meal's end.
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10/15/2017 - AudunG wrote: 92 Points
Delicious aromas of red fruits, old wood, mushroom, caramel and some volatile acidity. Soft, acidic, intense and delicate in the mouth.
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8/4/2017 - fc1910 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pnp, decanted, strong fragrance of dark fruit, caramel, on the palate blackberry, licorice, spicy, nuts, very energetic on the midpalate, a mouthfull of tinto, evaluates with decanting to a focused bottle with some depth, ending long+ with still demanding acidity, give this wine a decent decant to enjoy now, will benefit from some 5+ years in the cellar, **(*-+ -*?)
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7/8/2017 - David J Cooper wrote: flawed
So very corked.
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1/5/2015 - Los 12 Glotones wrote: 90 Points
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Els12golafres Wine Tasting Group: http://vinosclasicos.blogspot.com.es/2014/12/vina-tondonia-1999-reserva.html
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De color rubí marronoso de capa media-baja, claro. Reflejos ambarinos y granadinos, sin mucho brillo, opaco. Presenta un ligero sedimento en la base de la botella. Borde amplio, anaranjado.
López de Heredia en versión reserva absolutamente abierto y desenvuelto, en muy buen momento de salud. Se presenta inicialmente con predominio de aromas de fina reducción, maderas elegantes, a la que se suma notas de fruta roja muy madura, membrillo escarchado y un fondo avainillado apenas roto por esos tostados tan de la casa que recuerdan trasiegos y foudres envinados. Lo mires por donde lo mires, Tondonia por los cuatro costado. Caramelo medicinal, miel, menta, lavanda, herbolario, que van dando espacio paso a paso a notas de orden animal, a pesebre, esparto. Complejo, sí, pero también austero y muy atractivo!!! Va ganando en intensidad al respirar aunque con la sensación de estar todavía un poco costreñido. Necesitará de tiempo, para variar...
En boca impacta. Se agarra como una mala cosa, concentrado, de fuertísima acidez, vivísimo, acídulo, sin piedad. Los taninos aún algo ásperos, marcados, en el impás de integrarse en un conjunto acedrado, casi tostado, difícil de definir. Lejos de ser un vino elegante tiene toda la clase que es capaz de otorgar la bodega a sus vinos. Dentro de unos años podemos estar ante uno de los mejores reserva. Tiempo al tiempo!!
- - - Wine Info - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
75% tempranillo, 15% garnacho, 10% mazuelo y graciano - 12.5% vol.
Uva vendimiada a mano. Fermentación en viejas tinas de roble de 60 hectolitros sin control de temperatura. Seis años de crianza en barricas usadas de roble americano de 225 litros. Sometido a 2 trasiegas nanuales cada año. Clarificación con claras de huevos frescos. Embotellado sin filtrar. 250.000 botellas elaboradas.
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1/5/2013 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
While this is my favorite Spanish wine, this bottle was a bit oxidized. Previous two bottles were corked. The 2008 bottle was sensational. Amazing purity and evolves in the glass with each sip. A tantalizing earthy bouquet and lingering finish.
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6/5/2012 - gcarrillo wrote: 90 Points
siempre consistente, en nariz ebanisteria, fruta roja madura, acidez marcada, cuerpo medio, tanino pulido.
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5/7/2012 - manonthemoon wrote: 90 Points
Heredia Tasting; 5/7/2012-5/8/2012 (Palena, Washington, DC): This was served with the third group of wines.
N Black raspberry, little prune, floral, spice.
P Black raspberry, floral, earth, spice.
Good finish.
89-90
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2/25/2012 - spacewrangler wrote:
A beautiful wine that's still much too young, but with great promise. Strawberry, herbs de provence and some floral notes (lavender) on the nose. Palatewise this is a baby not showing all its cards, but it's pleasurable with the floral presence repeating on the palate. Give this at least 10 more years.
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7/24/2011 - Weston3220 wrote: 91 Points
Med+body, a nice darkness/richness Red fruit hint of raisin reminded me of aramone but so fresh too, leather and earth present
Conc: this was a nice LdH I enjoyed this totally
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3/9/2011 - gcarrillo wrote: 88 Points
no hay mucho que decir, creo que no me convencio este vino, aroma a ebanisteria, frutillas rojas, cuerpo medio, final largo
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2/3/2011 - ashegedyn wrote: 90 Points
Veyr nice nose of sour cherry, cranberry, spices. Medium intensity and perfumed. The taste is cherry and cranberry with a nice long juicy finish. Only flaw is the slightly acidic taste otherwise it would be even more enjoyable.
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1/22/2011 - mn_horn Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium red in color. The nose is somewhat musty with sour cherry and herb. A great old world nose. I am definitely enjoying the traditional style Riojas, like this one. There is plenty of acid and minerality to make this a great food pairing wine. The flavors are light red fruit, a bit of caramel, and herbs. The wine finishes with a nice sherry note. A fun change of pace from the predominant style.
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7/5/2010 - monk8miles wrote: 60 Points
Not corked, but compleatly flat with a hot alcohol finish
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4/13/2010 - rbishop wrote:
same as prior notes. I am going to hold for a long time and see how this changes with time.
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3/6/2010 - rbishop wrote: 84 Points
Similar to prior note. Not sure if this is me or the wine is in a different period now. I used to love this wine, now I am not really enjoying it.
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2/22/2010 - RJ8CDI wrote: 89 Points
Nice old style Rioja, but not a great vintage.
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2/12/2010 - rbishop wrote: 84 Points
I have had a few bottles of this recently. This one had a beautiful nose when I opened it. We decanted it, and the acidity was week and the earthiness was almost caramelized. This one was past its prime, which was not my experience with the others that I drank recently. I will be more reluctant to decant in the future.
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1/17/2010 - herberto wrote: 93 Points
I think, with Lopez de Heredia, either it speaks to you or it doesn't. I found this pretty briliant, especially at the price point. Wonderful acidity and earth. Similar in weight and style to a good villages Burgundy. Haunting.
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12/6/2009 - mtaczak wrote:
A pale wine all around - pale in color (albeit quite attractive), pale nose, pale flavor. Unimpressive for Rioja, reminded me more of a Pinot Noir. Perhaps past its prime? Not worth the price.
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12/5/2009 - pablopicasso wrote:
Brick red, smells musty in a good way, wonderful smooth texture, mostly a sour cherry taste.
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10/26/2009 - pjaines wrote:
Drinking this way too young, but already you can see the long term potential of this wine. Lovely, delicate light colour. Nose - dry cherries, strawberry, earthy, funky aromas and a delicate touch of vanilla. In the mouth this has an austere, rigid backbone of dry tannins that really set this wine up for serious long-term aging. Notes of rusty metal, apple skin on the mid-palate. There is a musty, Chateau Musar-like quality to this wine. In a world where everything in wine is turned up to 11 these days, this is a reminder that sometimes reducing the volume is for the better. Elegant, structured, young, complex. Wonderful stuff.
Edit: 5 hours later - this has put on weight - much more pronounced notes of figs, orange skin. Slightly watery on the mid-palate but then those teeth-drying tannins kick in again. I would suggest leaving this wine for another 4-5 years to let it soften out, but if you feel tempted this is a great food wine that needs good Spanish food as an accompaniment
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9/18/2009 - soyhead wrote: 91 Points
nose - sour plum, and oak, maybe a hint of sherry
mouth - cherry, strawberry, and caramelized orange - the fruit is not forceful but rather subtle. Good acidity which tickles the tip of the tongue from the very fist contact and lasts the whole swallow. Complex sherry and oak flavors on the midpalate followed by very fine tannins. Excellent overall mouthfeel - perhaps this is the point of having it hibernate for a decade before release. Very Elegant - but beware fans of fruit bombs (or fruit forward wine to be more neutral) this may not be your cup of tea. Paired very nicely with beet stew. Blinded I could be fooled into thinking this a Burgundy.
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9/7/2009 - nubbin wrote: 70 Points
75% Tempranillo. 15% Granacho, 5% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo -- all estate grown.
Appearance: Clear garnet with pale orange rim.
Nose: Clean. Very light and unexpressive.
Palate: Unexpressive. Maybe dry. Low/no acidity. Low/no tannins. Low alcohol. No finish.
Poor. Moderately pricey bottle that should have been great. Perhaps flawed. Doubtful wheather past it's drinking window.
12.%% alcohol. (D 5.5, F 1; Mariner)
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9/1/2009 - NVWINE79 wrote:
One of my favorite producers, but a very poor showing. Very soft flavors but very short on finish and relatively unexpressive on the nose. Strange... Maybe a flawed bottle? No rating given.
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8/22/2009 - djdaqm wrote: 91 Points
España Tasting (Wine Exchange. Orange, CA): Translucent ruby/orange color. Dark, rich smells of licorice and old wood. Good nose concentration. Nice acidity and medium tannins (could continue to age for at least 5+ years). Not very strong fruits. Refined and delicate flavor, yet tough woodiness. Length of 20+ secs. Could use more concentration and complexity. This is the current release (1999 in 2009).
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6/6/2009 - JorgeH wrote: 88 Points
Casual night @ PMC's (Franklin, MA): A baby still. Garnet colored. This was tight and unyielding at first. After an hour of two of air, pretty, yet reserved, notes of raspberry, red cherries, leather and sweet spices were coaxed out of the glass. Some vanilla and spice lingers in the end. This needs quite a few more years to start showing something interesting.
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4/11/2009 - Henman wrote: 80 Points
Had this at a restaurant in Palma de Mallorca.Very thin on the fruitiness,with almost no developed aromas.Simply a flat and dull wine.Perhaps it was flawed in some way,badly stored for example.Did not seem to be corked though.
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3/31/2009 - campingfleurie wrote: 91 Points
Singular, interesting, positive nose. It's of the echelon where there's something different with every sniff. Floral cherry. Mint and liquorice. Minor old leather. Polish and liqueur. Old strawberry. Then back to the mint, cedar and vanilla vein. I called correctly as Rioja. Some acidity... quite a lot actually. Nicely bitter, and that is its signature. Paradoxically there's sweet chocolate in the finish. A chrysalis feel: a nice wine for drinking now which should show diverse interest for 1-2 decades! 91 pts now.
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3/12/2009 - moods wrote: flawed
The aromas promised much. Lovely developed tertiary notes of leather, meat juices and undergrowth. And still some fruit in the background. However palate was verging on vinegar stage. Sadly past its best. Given other cellartrackers have opened good bottles of this wine recently, I have labelled this one as flawed.
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1/29/2009 - spacewrangler wrote: 94 Points
A staggerly haunting wine, I begged for a second sip at the tasting. Again, very young like the 1987 Tondonia Gran Reserva - with the same backbone and punch. The savory notes are at the forefront, with so much complexity you could fill a tome pontificating on its merits. In turns elegant, yet powerful.
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11/17/2008 - CBC wrote: 91 Points
Tasted let breath for 1 hour. then finished the bottle 5 hours later. Didnt change much after the initial hour of being open, very smooth wine, had some tannins. Tasted along with a Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva "Grandi Annate" 1999 also, the italian wine had better finish smoother tannins , but the Tondonia had more of a interesting bouquet, more barnyard.
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10/30/2008 - GregGH wrote: 90 Points
very much like a pinot - I am going to have to try more - most impressed with the good food from Nopa Restaurant in SFO
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10/27/2008 - wino_tim wrote: 84 Points
Very secondary with cigar-store notes of cedar, old tobacco and hints of prune-like fruit. Medium- body, medium+ acidity, with just a touch of fine tannin on the finish.
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10/14/2008 - drwine2001 wrote:
Medium red to tawny. Volatile, dill pickle aromatics-just all exaggerated new oak and frankly unappealing. It does have some sweeter red fruit than the nose suggests, but this is not saying much, as the overall impression is still meager and astringent. Poor and a big disappointment knowing how wonderful Lopez de Heredia wines can be. Ticking this one off as "flawed" would be giving it a huge benefit of the doubt which I'm not so sure it deserves.
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10/2/2008 - pulver wrote: 90 Points
nicely developed rioja with dry tannins, rather slim and mature. Spanish highlight.
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9/21/2008 - dre wrote:
Clear, rustic ruby core that leads out to a light brick rim. This wine is showing maturity.
The nose is clean with a strong fruit concentration of raspberry juice and strawberry with some light plum. Mild oak spice are well integrated with a bit of brett and well steeped black tea/earl grey aromas.
On the palate the wine is dry, moderate + acid with forward tart fruit intensity of sour cherry, raspberry and green garden berry flavors. Tannins are very dry but not overly intrusive. As in the nose, the oak is well integrated and gives off nice humidor, leather and Christmas spice flavors. Alc is smooth and subtle a perfect bill for the moderate sized body of this wine. Long delicate finish of leather and cherry mingles with cream.
Excellent to Outstanding Quality.
Drinking at the height of its game now. Should hold (not mature) through to 2013.
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6/30/2008 - RCal wrote: 84 Points
Very old style Rioja. Lots tannins (not well integrated), acidity and residual wood. Rough and plenty. A different ride away from modern wines. Good to cope with roasted lamb and very tasty foods. Do not look for refinement and finesse
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4/13/2008 - Pedro G wrote: 84 Points
Color rubí, borde teja, anaranjado. Aroma cuero, notas animales, especiado, crianza. Boca redondo, sabroso, especiado, sedoso paso pela boca, delicado, viva acidez. Um Rioja mucho clássico pero poco interesante.
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4/11/2008 - tcfishler wrote: 90 Points
Lopez de Heredia / Buil & Gine (K&L Wine Merchants (Hollywood, CA)): Chlorinated swimming pool and apple skin aromas. Slim and trim yet built; more streamlined than the Bosconia, but also more tannic, with fine grained tannins that ball up into the finish.
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4/8/2008 - gabriella wrote:
Very clear and clean burgundy in color with a dark cherry and black earth nose. In the mouth, this wine light and nicely integrated with firm tannins and bright, vibrant acidity, showing bucketfuls of rich black cherry flavors. This is a lovely, bold, yet straightforward wine just calling for grilled lamb chops! 4/5
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3/21/2008 - obiscoito wrote:
Dusty brown color like the fender of forgotten automobile. Spicy cherry nose with anise, and old cabin’s wood. Very soft in the mouth with a cinnamon coating over everything. Cherry notes, cinnamon, and light spices, mingle with a fresh acidity. Very light wine, with no need for a second more of age, just a grill and some friends. 4/5
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