Lopez Heredia is in an elite class at the pinnacle of wine production in Rioja. They are well-known for producing top-flight reds and whites at all price levels. They are also known for late-release Reserva Blanco (Aged White wines) that deserve reverence and contemplation when you pull a cork.
James Suckling 97 Points
Sweet berries, cherries, cedar and dried flowers on the nose. Some lemon and lime zest, too! Medium-to full-bodied with tight, integrated tannins that show wonderful length and reserve. So fresh and vivid. Lots of energy. A wonderful, classic wine. Drink or hold.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 93 Points
As with many wines this time, I had two vintages to taste of the Reserva from the Tondonia vineyard, 2009 and 2008, two very different, almost opposite vintages. The 2009 Viña Tondonia Reserva, a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho and 5% each Mazuelo and Graciano, matured in used American oak barrels for six years. It has some toasted character, with ripe fruit, black rather than red, denoting a warm year but more restrained than the Bosconia Reserva from the same vintage. 2009 is a year of ripeness, concentration and tannin; the wines are powerful, but here you see the finesse of Tondonia in comparison to the more rustic Viña Bosconia. 220,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2017.
Wine Spectator 93 Points
The deep, rusty color announces that this is not a typical rosé. Distinctive, offering tangy acidity and light, firm tannins that frame the rich texture, giving this plenty of structure for food. Orange peel, tarragon, iodine and beeswax notes frame the dried cherry and tangerine flavors. Unique. Garnacho, Tempranillo and Viura. Drink now through 2029. 1,166 cases made.
GRAPE VARIETIES 80% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 5% Graciano & Mazuelo
SOIL Clay and limestone.
VINIFICATION Handpicked the grapes are fermented in large, very old, oak vats, without the addition of yeasts. Aged in barriques for 5 years, being racked twice per year and fined with fresh egg whites, bottled unfiltered with a further 6+ years aging.
THE VINEYARDS The El Bosque vineyard is situated next to the river Ebro at an altitude of 465m in Haro, on the south-facing foothills of the Sierra Cantabria range.