Bodegas R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rioja Reserva 2012 750ml

SPAIN : RIOJA : RIOJA ALTA

ORGANIC : Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo

MED-FULL-BODIED, DRIED CHERRY, LEATHER, TOBACCO, DRIED HERBS, OAK

Viña Tondonia sits on a horseshoe meander of the Ebro River — 70 hectares of organic vines planted in alluvial clay and limestone, facing south, slow to ripen and slower to release. The winery, founded in 1877 and still in family hands four generations on, maintains its own cooperage and ages this Reserva six years in old American oak before release, one of the last houses in Rioja to treat extended élevage as the default rather than a premium tier.

The 2012 came from an exceptionally dry growing season — 25% below average rainfall — that produced concentrated, healthy fruit with rare balance between alcohol and polyphenols. The result is a wine with the textbook Tondonia profile: dried cherry, plum, forest floor, brick dust, and a long savory finish carried on chalky tannins. 96 pts. James Suckling. 95 pts. Wine Advocate. Drink now through 2035.

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