R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva 1970

R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva 1970

Lopez de Heredia
$1,360.00

Grape: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, Graciano
Vintage: 1970
Type: Red

This historic red Rioja is a Gran Reserva masterpiece crafted from tempranillo blended with garnacha, mazuelo, and graciano. The López de Heredia family selects hand-harvested fruit from the flagship Vina Tondonia plot on the banks of the Ebro River. Spontaneous fermentation occurs with native wild yeasts inside large oak tuns, avoiding modern temperature styling or enhancements. It undergoes a long maturation process, aging for several years in neutral American oak barrels in deep subterranean caves.

It displays a faded garnet color, releasing a wonderful bouquet of gravel, wild mushroom, cherry, and dusty attic. On the palate, the medium-bodied frame is balanced, pairing decayed red berry fruit with a fine-grained tannin structure. A sharp wave of rapier-like acidity cuts through the volume, keeping the aged profile full of energy. Savory layers of sour lemon, rosemary, and sage unfold across a rustic mouthfeel. It finishes long, dry, and persistent with orange peel.

This family-owned winery makes highly individual wines in a style essentially unchanged since its inception in 1877. They grow all their grapes using organic methods, ferment using only natural yeasts and do not filter their wines.

López de Heredia reputation as the ultimate Rioja traditionalist is undisputable: craft, farming, winemaking are all here and have been for a long, long time. Another remarkable feat is they also pioneered the single vineyard model in Rioja. Gravonia, Tondonia, Bosconia and Cubillo are all individual vineyards which have been in the family for generations.

Patience is a family watchword, as this bodega thinks nothing of waiting twenty years before releasing a wine. Their “Crianzas” are aged like others’ “Reservas” and “Gran Reservas”; the “Reservas” as long as others’ top “Gran Reservas”. And the ultimate accolade of “Gran Reserva” is accorded to only the very greatest vintages. Rarely are there more than three of these in a decade. These are uniquely traditional Riojas of massive, boundary-crossing repute. Both red and white are capable of staggering longevity.

Tondonia is the estate's top vineyard. Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta planted Viña Tondonia in 1913. The gorgeous 170 hectare Tondonia vineyard is situated in on the right bank of the Ebro river, which flows through the Rioja region.