NV R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco 6º Año Viña Tondonia

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 97 points

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  5/21/2023 - drwine2001 wrote:

  A Tasting of 1964 Gran Reserva Rioja and Even Older White Rioja! (Los Gatos, California): Using the magic label decoder, we think this wine was bottled in 1967 and therefore represents 1961 juice. Amber orange color. Salty, faintly nutty scents. Medium weight, high acidity, savory, excellent freshness upfront with a complicating botanical herb component that is more prominent than the remaining fruit. In the end, too sharp and angular with pronounced fino sherry finish.

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  1/15/2022 - forceberry wrote: 96 Points

  No age designation, the lot number says "GG 10 83", which could suggest the wine is based on probably vintage 1976 or 1977. Tasted after the Viña Tondonia Reserva 1999-2005 vertical.
  
  Moderately evolved golden yellow color with a slightly coppery core. Evolved, brooding and quite dark-toned nose with very concentrated aromas of browned butter, smoke and roasted nuts, some cooked cream, a little bit of bruised apple, light meaty notes, a hint of smoke and a touch of dried stone fruits. The wine is very developed and light-to-medium-bodied on the palate with very brisk and intense flavors of chopped nuts and cooked cream, some lemony citrus notes, a little bit of tart green apple and apple skin bitterness, light metallic nuances of brett, a hint of stony minerality and a faint touch of something leafy and slightly green. The very high acidity lends an almost electric feel to the wine. The mouthfeel almost slightly oily and concentrated by the age, even if the mouthfeel is on the light side and the piercing acidity keeps the wine very lively. The finish is very long and complex with quite evolved flavors of roasted nuts and bruised apple, some lemony citrus fruit notes, a little bit of tangy salinity, light pithy bitter nuances, a hint of crème brûlée and a faint green touch of something leafy.
  
  An outstanding and remarkably complex Rioja Blanco that is still fully alive and kicking, even though the wine is about 45 years old. Although the wine was simply exceptional and easily one of the best wines we had that evening, this bottle didn't match the one we had a few years ago - while very similar in style, this wine had these faint nuances of leafy greenness and something metallic, which really didn't have that much of an impact on the larger picture, but if one is trying to put two wines in order of quality, I can easily say I preferred the wine that didn't exhibit these characteristics. Nevertheless, a fantastic wine that really stands as a testament to the aging capability of Viña Tondonia Reserva. These wines really need decades, not years, to show their best.

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  12/8/2018 - forceberry wrote: 98 Points

  No age designation, but estimated to be one of the final vintages of 6º Año Viña Tondonia Blanco, making this wine probably something based on vintages 1976-1979, perhaps?
  
  Deep, luminous dark golden color with a concentrated core and an almost colorless, clear rim. The nose is exceptionally concentrated and complex with rich aromas of smoke, sweet creaminess, honeysuckle, some browned butter and oven-fresh brioche, light peanut butter tones, a little bit of lemon marmalade, a hint of apple jam, a touch of melted vanilla sugar and a whiff of heady yellow flowers. An extraordinary nose one could sniff for a lifetime. Contrasting the rich and concentrated nose, the wine is crisp, relatively light-bodied and very playful on the palate with complex and remarkably intense - almost electric - flavors of browned butter and cooked cream, some wizened peach, a little bit of tangy Granny Smith apple, light saline mineral tones, a hint of nutty complexity and a touch of tertiary resinous spiciness. The wine is very high in acidity, lending exceptional intensity, freshness and sense of structure to the wine. The finish is remarkably long with playful, lively and very complex flavors of tart lemony citrus fruits, browned butter, some honeycomb, a little bit of crème brûlée, light steely mineral tones, a tangy hint of Granny Smith apple and a touch of saline minerality.
  
  An exceptional NV Tondonia that was not only very much alive (to the surprise of many attendees in the tasting), but also one of the most impressive examples of aged white Rioja I've tasted. The wine was showing some tertiary characteristics and even some oxidative complexity, but the wine was still in so pristine condition it was almost impossible to believe this really was as old as it was. Seeing how the lost 6º Año Viña Tondonia bottles were made in the early 1980's, there's no way this is younger than 40 years. Simply spectacular stuff. Most likely won't develop anywhere from here, but won't fall apart anytime soon either. The wine was rather pricey at 70€, but managed to deliver for the price, easily. Very highly recommended.

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