Viña Tondonia Tinto Gran Reserva 2004

Viña Tondonia Tinto Gran Reserva 2004

R. López de Heredia i Haro, i hjertet af Rioja Alta, er ikke blot old school, huset er en levende tidskapsel og et af vinverdenens sidste kompromisløse forter. Siden grundlæggelsen i 1877 er forbløffende lidt ændret. Her hersker tålmodighed, håndværk og en dyb respekt for vinens naturlige rytme.

Denne vin stammer fra husets kronjuvel, Viña Tondonia, hvor alle druer dyrkes på egne marker med fritstående bush vines. Blendet består af 75 % Tempranillo, 15 % Garnacha samt Graciano og Mazuelo, og Gran Reserva fremstilles udelukkende i de allerbedste årgange. López de Heredia fremhæver selv 2004 som en af husets største årgange nogensinde.

Vinifikationen foregår med næsten rituel ro: naturgæring, ingen filtrering, lagring på ældgamle amerikanske egetræsfade fra husets eget bødkeri og efterfølgende håndaftapning direkte fra fad. Før vinen ser dagens lys, har den tilbragt 10 år på fad og 10 år på flaske – i alt 20 års modning. En praksis, der stort set ikke findes andre steder i verden.

I glasset fremstår Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva bemærkelsesværdigt levende og ungdommelig. Duften og smagen kredser om elegant, tæt rød frugt med kirsebær og mørkere nuancer, ledsaget af cedertræ, lakrids og skovbund. Trods sin intensitet er vinen aldrig tung eller dominerende – snarere en harmonisk, livsbekræftende eliksir i perfekt balance. Fadet har ikke sat sit præg som aroma, men som struktur og ro.

Dette er en vin, man kan fordybe sig i over lang tid – både i glasset og over årtier. Drikkeklar ved frigivelsen, men med et dokumenteret lagringspotentiale på 50–80 år fra årgang. En vin uden hast, skabt til dem, der værdsætter stilhed, dybde og storhed i sin mest elegante form.

Servér i rummelige glas ved 16–19 °C og giv gerne vinen god luft. Dette er ikke bare vin – det er historie, tid og skønhed samlet i én flaske.

100 point – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (Luis Gutiérrez)

"The 2004 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva didn't stop growing and changing in the glass for the good three hours that lasted the tasting of the portfolio. I had tasted this wine on my previous visit (they don't usually open future Gran Reserva vintages), and I was very impressed. This was aromatic (but took some time in the glass to open up), floral, perfumed, elegant and nuanced. The year was excellent, textbook, and the grapes from Viña Tondonia were picked from the 11th of October, the dates from yesteryear. I had the exceptional 2001 Parreno two weeks before I tasted this wine, and I found many similarities between both wines. It has complex notes of forest floor, truffle, wild herbs, spices and mushrooms and a touch of iodine. This is velvety, with super elegant tannins and a supple finish. It has clout and persistence, but there's also something ethereal about it. It's full of energy, light and power. This should be almost eternal. Bravo! 24,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2018.

Mercedes López de Heredia told me, "We are fighting very hard to not change anything. Before, we were going against the flow, and now we are overwhelmed by demand." It was amazing to taste with Mercedes and her sister María José, who didn't stop talking the whole four hours it took us to go through the current releases. "I've been experimenting with stuff to seal the vats and the barrels, I've mixed beeswax with oil, and I've invented a kind of plasticine with the bitartrates but it's not fully waterproof. We used things that we cannot use anymore, and we have to find alternatives. Everything is a challenge nowadays." The two sisters speak with passion about their traditions and what her grandfather and father did for the family winery. The wines have not changed even if they have to adapt to new regulations that prevent them from working exactly as it was done in the past.

We talked about everything, including the "new" white varieties—they have some experimental plantings—though they are not very impressed by Tempranillo Blanco. "It's not very aromatic and so far, doesn't show the vibrancy of the old Viura, and we have so little Maturana Blanca that we cannot vinify it separately." As for the rosé, they explain, "We didn't have enough Garnacha to make it, so there won't be any rosé available until 2026 or so." I guess from the 2016 vintage...

There was talk about vintages and of course the recent harvest. "In 2023, we harvested in September, and it was extremely warm. For the first time, we didn't harvest in the afternoon because it was too hot." For María José, 2016 was the last classical vintage in Rioja Alta, perhaps only 2021. It's very much in the style of 2001. The wines from 2016 showed exceptionally well, but the show was stolen by the Gran Reserva bottlings from 2004; both wines from the Viña Tondonia deserve three-digit scores."

Om producenten

López de Heredia er en af Spaniens mest legendariske og traditionsrige vinproducenter, grundlagt i 1877 i hjertet af Rioja-regionen i Spanien. Med base i den ikoniske Viña Tondonia ejendom i Haro har huset gennem generationer holdt fast i en kompromisløs vinfremstilling, hvor tid, håndværk og terroir går hånd i hånd.

López de Heredia er kendt for sin klassiske, næsten ceremonielle tilgang til vinproduktion. Her bruges fortsat mange traditionelle metoder, som lang lagring på brugte egetræsfade, spontan gæring og tålmodig modning på flaske, før vinene frigives til verden. Resultatet er vine med stor dybde, finesse og en helt særlig evne til at udvikle sig smukt over tid.

Husets vine afspejler det unikke mikroklima og jordbundene i Rioja Alta og bærer et tydeligt præg af elegance, struktur og balance. Sortimentet omfatter både rødvine, hvide vine og roséer – alle med karakter og autenticitet i centrum.

For elskere af klassisk spansk vin er López de Heredia et fyrtårn: et sted hvor arv og kvalitet mødes i hvert eneste glas.

Land: Spanien
Region: Rioja
Druesort: 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho samt 10% Graciano og Mazuelo
Alkohol: 14%
Vintype: Rødvin
Indhold: 75 cl.