2004 Lopez de Heredia "Viña Tondonia" Blanco Reserva Rioja

SKU #1350434 97 points Decanter

A great wine in a great vintage: Tondonia is unique. Aged for six years in wood, this cuvée of Viura with 10% Malvasia ages brilliantly, with nutty, mature, almost Sherry-like notes, remarkable freshness, acidity, and incredible grace and length. Drinking window 2018-2030. (TA) (10/2017)

96 points Wine & Spirits

A great vintage of this classic wine, this reveals its sunny beauty over the course of days. Open the bottle and you might taste tart lemon, juicy almond and touches of oxidation, bringing to mind wood oils. Those flavors integrate with air so that the wine saturates the palate with freshness, the scent turned heady, toward croissants and almond blossoms, the flavors savory, salty and bright. This family-run winery farms prime Rioja Alta sites along the Ebro River, aging this estate-grown wine in cool riverside tunnels in their cellar in Haro. Tondonia Reserva spends six years in old barrels, racked twice a year, then continues aging in bottle prior to release. Over that time, the wine seems to gain resilience, though you will not get the full benefit of this white unless you give it plenty of air. Leave it in a decanter and it gives off the energy of the cool sun at harvest, a delicious memory of an ideal autumn day in 2004. (12/2017)

95 points James Suckling

Dried mango, pineapple and lemon aromas with hints of cream follow through to a full body, lightly tannic texture and a long and flavorful finish. Vanilla at the end. Love the experience. (7/2017)

95 points Wine Spectator

This distinctive white shows its age in the deep gold color, but still has life and structure. Hazelnut, vanilla and lanolin flavors frame a core of dried apple and coconut notes, while keen acidity and light tannins keep this focused. Dense, complex and harmonious. *Highly Recommended* (TM) (12/2017)

94 points Wine Advocate

The 2004 Viña Tondonia Blanco Reserva will be released sometime in 2017, and the difference with the Gravonia is 10% of very old Malvasía Riojana that provides a unique perfume and sophistication. It feels very young and primary, impossible to guess its age. The Viura is similar to the one from Gravonia, old and on clay and limestone soils; the white grapes always on whiter, stonier soils. Fermentation was carried out in their 140-year-old oak vats with natural yeasts (a constant here), where it goes through malolactic fermentation. The nose seems less developed than in the 2007 Gravonia, younger and livelier. Even after six years in oak, the wine is not oaky, but the aromas are subtle and even a little shy. The palate is austere and it feels a little stiff, with lively acidity and pungent flavors. This feels like a superb year for this bottling, it's clear that it's a great vintage. (LG) (8/2016)

93 points John Gilman

The 2004 Viña Tondonia Rioja Blanco Reserva from López de Heredia is an outstanding bottle of wine. The bouquet has reached a beautiful point of evolution at age fourteen, wafting from the glass in a sophisticated blend of white cherries, a touch of orange peel, sweet almonds, salty soil tones, vanilla bean, a nice touch of coconut and a discreet floral topnote of lilac blossoms. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied, complex and beautifully balanced, with a fine core, bright acids, excellent focus and grip and a long, vibrant and lovely finish. Fine, fine juice. (Drink between 2018-2040) (5/2018)

Jancis Robinson

Pale gold. Complex with oxidative aromas that are cedary and almost resinous. Chewy, wild and bone dry but somehow has the flavour of sour apricots and rosemary and all sorts of seemingly conflicting characteristics that make a wonderful whole. A firm grip that is somehow tannic but not astringent. Very long and fresh. Released this year. Perfect in this style. Will probably go on for ever. *Good Value* (JH) (6/2017)

K&L Notes

95 points Pedro Ballesteros Torres writes in Decanter: "One of the greatest classic styles, a wine that has been made through long hard ageing and will last forever. Shocking for novices, addictive for connoisseurs, unique for all – and the Gran Reservas are even more complex." (05/2018)