Some winery visits you just never forget. Such is the case with my visit to R. Lopez de Heredia several years back. For years I have admired the incredible Vina Tondonia wines and I was so eager to see the cellar, winery and vineyards. R. Lopez de Heredia is without a doubt one of the famed properties in the La Rioja region. It has an incredible history as R. Lopez de Heredia was founded in the nineteenth century when French negociants visited the Rioja region to find alternative sources of quality grapes to transform into wine, following their phylloxera epidemic had decimated their vineyards. Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, started his winery in Haro, the capital of the Rioja Alta region. The winery is a stunning older building with arguably the most incredible wine caves of the region.
This is a winery pitted in tradition as R. Lopez de Heredia wines are aged considerably longer than most and they are only sold when the winemaker finds them to be drinking perfectly. Their current releases are more than a decade old. I had the incredible chance earlier in the year to taste the 2008-2010 Vina Tondonia together. These are wines that at 15 years of age are incredibly youthful and still have decades of life in front of them. I am completely enamored by the 2011 R. Lopez de Heredia ‘Vina Tondonia’ Rioja Reserva (OB, 95) which shows amazing aging potential in this brilliant vintage. Learn more about this famed winery athttp://www.lopezdeheredia.com Here are the beautiful new wines by R. Lopez de Heredia.
2011 R. Lopez de Heredia ‘Vina Tondonia’ Reserva Rioja- The 2011 R. Lopez de Heredia ‘Vina Tondonia’ Reserva is a world-class Rioja with 20% Garnacha and 5% both Graciano and Mazuelo blended in. Coming from this vineyard set on limestone and clay, the wine was stored in homemade 225L American oak barrels before bottling. This 2011 Rioja offers beautiful red rose petals on the nose with cranberry, orange peel, worn leather and shades of freshly tilled stony soils. The palate is soft and refined with elegant tannins that frame a core of bright red fruits alongside blood orange zest, wild mushroom and great length. This is a total stunner that will live on for another twenty years to come. Drink 2023-2042- 95