Bodegas R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Reserva 2011
López de Heredia
López de Heredia does not release wine until it is ready. The 2011 Tondonia Reserva spent six years in barrel and more years in bottle before reaching shelves — a timeline that most producers would consider commercially insane. The result is a wine that has already done the work of aging for you: seamless, complex, and quietly profound.
Kit Aromas
Nose
A complex, old-school Rioja nose of dried cherry, aged leather, and dried rose petals. Beneath that sits toasted hazelnut, a hint of tobacco, and the faintest whiff of aged balsamic.
Palate
Medium-bodied and ethereal in texture, with cherry and dried cranberry supported by fine-grained tannins and a savory, earthy undertone. The oak is fully integrated after years in barrel, showing as cedar and sweet spice rather than raw wood. There is a translucence to the fruit that only time can achieve.
Finish
Long and haunting, with dried herbs, fading cherry, cedar, and a mineral-driven persistence that lingers for minutes.
- Varietal
- Tempranillo
- Blend
- Tempranillo (75%), Garnacho (15%), Graciano and Mazuelo (10%)
- Vineyards
- Viña Tondonia, a single 100-hectare vineyard on the banks of the Ebro River in Haro
- Alcohol
- 13.0%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
Food Pairing
Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic mirrors the wine's savory depth and dried herb character, while the meat's gentle fat melts into Tondonia's fine tannins.
Founded in 1877, Bodegas López de Heredia ages its Viña Tondonia wines in vast underground cellars carved beneath the Rioja town of Haro, releasing each vintage only when the family deems it ready — often a decade or more after harvest.
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