The Still & The VineSchool of Wine & Spirits
López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Reserva 2011
Red WineIssue 25

López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Reserva 2011

R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia S.A. · Bodegas R. López de Heredia, Haro, Rioja Alta

$5513% proofFounded in 1877 in Haro, Rioja Alta, Bodegas R. López de Heredia is one of the first three wineries in the Rioja region and remains proudly family-owned through its fourth generation. The Viña Tondonia vineyard sits in a meander of the Ebro River, where the unique microclimate and clay-limestone soils produce wines of extraordinary longevity.
Viña Tondonia Reserva is the ultimate slow-reveal wine — a bottle that spent six years in barrel and still isn't done evolving when you pour it.

Kit Aromas

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dried cherry and vanilla emerge first, then tobacco leaf, warm earth, and orange zest build in layers. Give it fifteen minutes of air and a cedar note appears.

Palate

Dried plums and leather on entry, with iron minerality and subtle spice weaving through the mid-palate. The tannins are firm but sinewy rather than aggressive.

Finish

Extraordinarily long. Tobacco and dried fruit linger first, then a mineral earthiness emerges, then a final cedar-vanilla note that can persist for minutes.

Specifications
Varietal
Tempranillo (75%)
Blend
75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho, 5% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo
Vineyards
Estate Viña Tondonia vineyard, Ebro River meander, clay-limestone soils
Serve & Pair

Cocktail Suggestion

Cocktail — Tinto de Verano Tondonia: Pour 4 oz Viña Tondonia Reserva over ice and top with 2 oz sparkling lemon water and a slice of orange.

Food Pairing

Pair with: Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary and roasted garlic.

Train These Aromas
Comments

Be the first to comment.

Leave a comment

0 / 4,000

First-time comments are reviewed before appearing. Be kind, be specific, no spam.

More from Bodegas R. López de Heredia, Haro, Rioja Alta
More Red Wine Reviews
Bodegas R. López de Heredia Viña Bosconia Reserva 2012
Red Wine

Bodegas R. López de Heredia Viña Bosconia Reserva 2012

López de Heredia

López de Heredia releases wines only when they decide they're ready, and Viña Bosconia Reserva 2012 has spent years in the bodega's famous underground caves — a network of ancient cellars with stable temperatures and high humidity. The result is a wine that feels like it has already done the aging work for you. Open it and it's ready to converse.

Domaine du Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux 2020
Red Wine

Domaine du Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux 2020

Domaine du Comte Armand

Clos des Epeneaux is a monopole — one of Burgundy's rarest single-owner premier cru vineyards. The 2020 vintage shows the warmth of the year but retains the tension and structure that make Pommard compelling. This is Pinot Noir shaped by a very specific piece of earth, and it shows.

Penfolds Grange 2018
Red Wine

Penfolds Grange 2018

Penfolds

Grange is Australia's most celebrated blend, and the 2018 vintage reminds us why. Max Schubert's original vision — multi-vineyard, multi-region Shiraz with a small percentage of Cabernet — lives on in a wine where blending is not just technique but philosophy. Each parcel contributes something the others lack, and the result is greater than any single vineyard could deliver.

Domaine de Trévallon Rouge 2019
Red Wine

Domaine de Trévallon Rouge 2019

Domaine de Trévallon

Eloi Dürrbach's roughly equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah has been one of Provence's most singular wines for four decades. The 2019 vintage captures the estate's signature tension between power and elegance — a wine that demands cellaring but already reveals its architecture to patient tasters.