1970 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia

Community Tasting Notes (61) Avg Score: 92.5 points

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  2/11/2024 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 98 Points

  Majestic wine that emerged triumphant by acclamation (alongside the 1970 Unico) amongst a sea of wines all just as majestic on paper. Arresting aromas here, barnyard and truffles like old Burgundy (what's the Spanish term for sous bois?) oscillating back and forth with fresh, leafy, minty scents. The color is pale, but still clearly red and well-preserved. It's sweet and grippy, loaded with tobacco, sassafras, and assorted botanicals, and blossoms again on the back end. This is Lopez at peak.

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  7/23/2023 - mimik Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Sublime. Would have been better probably 5 to 10 years ago, but it was still a nice drink with acidity and some interesting, rhubarb and cherry/strawberry notes.

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  2/27/2023 - ekessler Likes this wine:

  Drank at Choco Ona, Espelette, France. Fantastic bottle. Cork broke even with Durand, so bottle was decanted. Smooth, fresh, and as fragrant as a great burgundy. No funk or oxidation.

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  10/8/2022 - ThijsV wrote: flawed

  The capsule looked good, but when opened the cork had fallen into the wine long ago. Only vinegar left
  
  Pretty amazing that the capsule alone was watertight, as there was no leakage at all

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  4/30/2022 - FEDEVIDAL Likes this wine: 96 Points

  El tapón salió completamente mojado y en dos pedazos pero no llegó a desintegrarse. El color es totalmente atejado, llegando a marronoso. No se decantó, pero ciertamente al abrirlo producía unos aromas muy sucios de reducción embotella y para eliminarlos se tuvo que trabajar el vino en copa durante más de 20 minutos. Quizá una breve decantación hubiese ido mejor pero en vinos tan viejos hay que pensárselo mucho. Se probó en distintos tipos de copa y la que mejor resultado dio fue la Riedel Borgoña. El vino, una vez pacificado, entrega un aroma intenso, totalmente terciario, sin rastros de fruta, pero bonito y atractivo, hay tabaco negro, madera vieja, cueros, y todo muy equilibrado. La boca es extraordinaria, vivísima, intensa, estructurada y hasta tensionada, mantiene una acidez increíble y expresa altas sensaciones como ahumados, olivas negras, tabaco negro y un final muy largo y ligeramente licoroso.
  Probar un vino en estas condiciones resulta emocionante y una experiencia memorable.

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