1973 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia

Community Tasting Notes (9) Median Score: 93 points

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  11/23/2022 - Christian von Dresky Likes this wine: 95 Points

  I am not sure if I am more happy with the long ageing potential or a bit put off because the wines need such along time, to show the absolute potential. 40 or 50 years seem a long time, to wait for a wine. In the end it is not important, because when you drink them with such age and the bottle is healthy, it is absolutely incomparable. The quality that the Reserva wines of López de Heredia deliver is disproportional to the price. Sure, those aromatic ingredients that they show after such a long time is not for everyone, but I am always blown away by the depth, the complexity and the cristal like precision they show. Beside the incomprehensible, effortless grace and the ethereal fruit essence this 1973 delivers in the glass. Spices, strawberry, a touch of well judged oxidation, delivering nuts and cloves mingle to give us memorable delight that I would not call anymore wine but the destillate of time and place. Have you ever been to Haro, visited the López de Heredia winery and saw the vineyards beside the river? What a heritage and what a wine!

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  6/23/2016 - bart@ranchopequeno.com wrote:

  Light in color and markedly spicier with hints of orange peel, molasses, ground coriander and unsweetened cocoa. Long, Long, Long, finish.

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  6/3/2014 - Matt Neel Likes this wine:

  Birth-year Wines at Bacchanal (SoHo, NYC): Opaque blood; a very deep color, wow! This is a good bottle, praise Jeebus, because it has been hit/miss with this case (bought as a group). Christ, the nose is FUNKY out the gate; this is totally a product of old-world (think: Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still alive, lol) agriculture and projects that onto the screen of your nose and tongue: leather, chocolate, cocoa, blood, sage, seaweed umami… on and on. The palate is sweet and rich, resolved, and plenty alive; more seaweed, leather, umami; funk: funk. Funky. Old world, and precisely what I want here. Sage much? Forever-memories and yoga; like something from some excavation in Old Delhi. Good cocoa length. Drinks well, but please don’t sit on this too long! At the end, it was quite similar in flavor to an amontillado or palo cortado — rich, nutty, dry+sweet, like a dry recioto but not at all raisiny. Extremely mysterious and a real treat.

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  12/17/2013 - Matt Neel Likes this wine:

  2013 Acker BYO at TriBeCa Grill (New York City): Bricked ruby. It's fairly stinky on the nose, sewage, but also minerally cherry, dried blood/iron; cocoa powder; later matchsticks and wet firecrackers join up to make it a party. The palate is certainly mature and thinning but the dried cherry fruit is hanging on; there is more cocoa but no leather. Has a little length to it. Good but DRINK UP, good lord -- it's got nowhere good to go from here...

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  11/18/2013 - Biggsy wrote: 93 Points

  Really ripe, fruity nose; forward and very open, full of vibrant black fruits. The palate has great structure with really fine grippy tannins holding everything in place. The tannins are fabulous for a 40 year old wine. Lovely pure sweet and sour fruit on the entry followed by a spicy, meaty tobacco character. Poised and elegant with a velvety mouthfeel and great acidity. A nice lingering tea leaf flavour on the long finish.

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View all 9 Community Tasting Notes

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