West London Wine School 4 Decades of López de Heredia Rioja: Tondonia

Bodegas Lopez de Heredia is an icon in Rioja and indeed Spain and is one of the wine world’s great wine treasures. This delightful tasting will unearth four decades of the estate from the 1970s to the 2000s of both white and red Rioja adding to the argument that Rioja, when made carefully and with epitome of quality in mind, can age as well as many of the great wines of the world.

Founded in 1877 by Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta who established the legendary Tondonia vineyards on the alluvial slopes overlooking the River Ebro on the cusp of the Alta and Alavesa wine sub-regions. A visionary and a romantic, his aspirations were impressive and included architectural plans that almost put one in mind of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia.

The Lopez de Heredia estate extends over 170ha and four autonomous vineyard areas, of which Tondonia is both the largest (70ha) and the most famous. The other three are Cubillo, Bosconia and Gravonia; each with distinctive terroir and aspect and differing styles of wine.The reds are dominated by Tempranillo, but there are also old-vine plantings of Graciano, Garnacha and Mazuelo. The whites come from both Viura and Malvasia, with more of the former planted, some of which is extremely old.

With draconian selection, care and attention the wines are indulged in a rigourous maturation schedule of mainly American oak from their 14,000 barrel cellar. A further stylistic key is the extensive pre-release bottle aging. Cash flow is certainly not king at Tondonia; the quest for perfection is paramount and the wine, unlike that from in some areas one could mention, is released only when ready. And the quality is such that the top wines maintain this plateau of perfection for years and years, often decades.

Wines on Tasting (9):

Whites:

Viña Gravonia Crianza (from Zaconia) 2004Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva 1991Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva 1987Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva 1976

Viña Tondonia Rosado 1993

Reds:

Viña Tondonia Tinto Reserva 2001Viña Tondonia Tinto Gran Reserva 1994Viña Tondonia Tinto Gran Reserva 1981Viña Tondonia Tinto Gran Reserva 1976

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