An evening of López de Heredia wines

Jamie Hutchinson had lured the irrepressible María José López de Heredia to a pub in Islington to introduce a range of her traditionally made riojas. These were all new to me. The rosés were interesting rather than delicious - quite sherry-like and needing food. The whites were a revelation - they depended for a lot of their character on American oak, but when cut with such savoury sharp fruit, the combination is very exciting. The basic reservas I found dull, but the gran reservas were all fantastic, especially the amazingly youthful 1954. The red Tondonias are traditionally meant to equate to a bordeaux style, the Bosconias to a burgundy style, but frankly from this sample I couldn't make such a distinction. María José said that as they got older it was difficult to tell them apart.

• 1997 R. López de Heredia Rioja Rosado Viña Tondonia

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Pale onion skin, sherry-like savouriness, salty, tangy, very high acidity - striking. Guess it needs food to tame the acidity.

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• 1998 R. López de Heredia Rioja Rosado Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  After the '97, this was fatter, more buttery, smooth and luxurious, but still in an oxidative style and with searing acidity.

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• 1999 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia 90 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Intense, spicy oak nose, amazingly spicy in fact, savoury, acidic, but all underpinned by the oak, a lovely combination, superb

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• 1991 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia 91 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Fine, focused, with a real citrus snap, mineral, salty, very long - excellent

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• 1981 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 94 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  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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• 1970 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 90 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  High-toned, edgy, pungent celery and asparagus nose, waxy. Certainly interesting, at first it didn't charm me at all, but as it sat in the glass, the underlying oak came through and it ended up delicious

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• 2001 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia 85 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Round, fresh, but indistinct boiled sweet red fruit nose, tired and sickly, I thought

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• 2000 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia 86 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Pale and mellow, but for all the acidity present this lacks bite and is dull

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• 1991 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Bosconia 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Charred oak edge to the nose, light, floaty, volatile, sharp - and yet it's absolutely compelling and delicious

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• 1991 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  This had less on the nose than the Bosconia, but this grows on the palate as the dried cherry and sweetness blazes through - lovely

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• 1964 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 90 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Not much to the nose, fresh, light, bramble jelly fruit palate, very pretty, but lacking the substance of the 91s.

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• 1954 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 94 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  But this was the best of the lot - dark, malty, rich, medicinal, animale, big and vigorous, superb

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