Community Tasting Note

• forceberry wrote: 94 points

  December 11, 2020 - A blend of Tempranillo (75%), Garnacha (15%), Mazuelo and Graciano, the grapes sourced from the Tondonia vineyard. Fermented spontaneously in old and very large oak fermenters, aged for 8 years in barrels, bottled unfiltered and then aged for a further 13 years in bottles before release in 2016. 12,5% alcohol, 6,2 g/l acidity. Total production 24,687 bottles.
  
  Developed, moderately evolved and quite translucent brick-red color with a youthful ruby core and more developed mahogany hue closer to the almost colorless rim. Complex and sweet-toned nose which combines youthful vibrancy with more mature qualities. Aromas of smoke, old saddle leather, ripe wild strawberries, even some Pinosity, a little bit of dusty old wood, light notes of seared meat, hints of earth and a developed touch of wizened dark fruits. Silky yet firm on the palate with a medium body and rather acid-driven taste with complex, juicy and somewhat developed flavors of sweet red fruits and vibrant cherries, some old leather, a little bit of stony minerality, light sanguine notes of iron, a hint of hoi sin and a touch of dry-cured beef. The structure relies more on the very high, bright acidity than on the rather round, gentle and textural tannins. The finish is dry, moderately evolved and somewhat grippy with remarkably long, juicy and quite acid-driven aftertaste of tart lingonberries and sour cherries, wizened red fruits, some old leather, light umami notes notes of beef jerky and soy sauce, a little bit of ferrous blood, a hint of stony minerality and a sweeter touch of ripe dark berries.
  
  Pretty much exactly how I'd expect a '95 Tondonia Gran Reserva to perform: the wine combines effortlessly some almost tertiary notes one would expect from a wine aged for 8 years in barrels with wonderfully vibrant and slightly sweet-toned fruit flavors that feels very youthful and almost out of place in a wine already 25 years old. What surprised me was the surprisingly pale color of the wine and its surprisingly resolved, gentle tannins - I've grown to expect Tondonia Gran Reserva to be darker and more tannic - but nevertheless the wine did not disappoint me in any way. Compared to often weightier and more concentrated Tondonia Reserva, the wine feels lighter, leaner and more acid-driven, but also noticeably more complex and coming across as more youthful than a Tondonia Reserva 1995 would be. The wine is very rewarding already now, this "young", but with its remarkable intensity, depth and acid structure, I can imagine it to improve for decades more. A very fine old Rioja. At 59€ (when the wine was released) this was a bargain.

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1 Comment

• OenoEd commented:

  12/15/20, 3:05 PM - nice call on those lingonberries; I use those preserves a lot in cooking, but missed that until you said it. I didn’t get as much sweet fruit as you, or soy/hoisin notes. It makes me anxious to open another bottle! Good job!

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