R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva Magnum 2011

R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva Magnum 2011

Lopez de Heredia
$115.00

Grape: Tempranillo Blend
Vintage: 2011
Type: Red

This traditional Rioja Alta red wine is presented in a large format to support slow integration and freshness. Sourced from the historic Viña Tondonia vineyard, the blend combines Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo grown on clay-limestone terraces along the Ebro River. The winemaking utilizes low-intervention protocols, featuring a spontaneous fermentation driven by native oak-vat yeasts without temperature control. It undergoes an extensive six-year maturation process in seasoned American oak casks handcrafted at the estate winery.

It displays a garnet hue with brick reflections, opening with fragrant aromas of dried cherry, tobacco leaf, leather, and vanilla spice. On the palate, the medium-bodied frame balances mature red fruit flavors with a silky texture and perfectly integrated tannins. Savory layers of forest floor, cedar, and dried orange peel add depth as the liquid opens up. A clean wave of limestone acidity runs through the center, keeping the aged profile fresh.

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.