Vina Tondonia Reserva

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In the glass

Aroma: dried cherry, balsamic, tobacco, autumn leaf, orange peel

Palate: sour cherry, leather, cured-meat savour, walnut

The reference traditional Rioja Reserva: pale brick colour, oxidative dried-fruit and balsamic aromatics over a fine-boned, high-acid frame that drinks like old Burgundy.

What it pairs with

• Cordero asado al sarmiento The wine's silky old-oak savour wraps around vine-roasted lamb without overwhelming it.More wines for lamb →
• Roast partridge Game and the Reserva's autumn-leaf and dried-cherry notes are a classic register match.More wines for game →
• Jamon iberico de bellota Acorn-fed ham's nutty fat lifts the wine's walnut and cured-meat savour.More wines for ham →
• Idiazabal smoked sheep cheese Basque smoked cheese mirrors the wine's mellow oxidative edge.More wines for aged hard cheese →Find idiazabal smoked sheep cheese on TableJourney →

With cheese

Queso Camerano Our pick Curado Camerano, ripened at least 75 days, is hard, with a brown-green mould rind and a salty, slightly bitter finish. A Tempranillo-led Reserva, aged a year or more in oak, brings fruit that softens the bitterness, while the cheese's salt tames the tannin.

How to serve Vina Tondonia Reserva

Allow 65 minutes from open to pour.

1. Open and decant. Open 60 minutes before serving and pour into a decanter to aerate.
2. Serve at 14-16°C. Cellar temperature (14-16°C) is the band for this style. Warmer pushes alcohol forward; colder dampens aromatics.
3. Glassware. Use a Burgundy bowl with a wide opening: the bowl shape rewards the wine's structure.
4. Pair with. Cordero asado al sarmiento, Roast partridge, Jamon iberico de bellota. Match the wine's structure to the dish's fat and salt.

History

Vina Tondonia is the 100-hectare estate vineyard Rafael Lopez de Heredia planted from 1913 above the Ebro at Haro. The Reserva is aged for years in the bodega's own American-oak barrels and released only when the family judges it ready, often a decade or more after the harvest.

1. 1913Vina Tondonia vineyard fully planted above the Ebro
2. 1925Estate bottling of Tondonia under the family label established
3. 2020Tim Atkin and Decanter repeatedly cite Tondonia as the benchmark traditional Rioja

Facts

Producer

R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia · visiting guide

Grapes

Tempranillo (75%), Garnacha (15%), Graciano (5%), Mazuelo (5%)

Classification

DOCa Rioja

Oak

Around 6 years in American oak barrels, racked by gravity twice a year, then long bottle ageing

ABV

12.5%

Price

EUR 35 to 60 at retail

Drinking window

5 to 30 from vintage

First vintage

1913

Frequently asked about Vina Tondonia Reserva

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