Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva 2004
595.50€ (Inc. VAT bot. 75 cl.) / Spain
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I was very much looking forward to the 2004 Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva, the next vintage of this wine after the spectacular 2001. 2004 was a perfect climate year. This is a developed white that was matured in well-seasoned, neutral American oak barrels for 10 years in their old caves, where the wine gets pungent aromas of mushrooms, pollen, beeswax, white pepper, kerosene, cereals and something herbal (celery and even asparagus) that reminded me of the 1964. The palate is velvety and dry and super tasty, with a salty twist in the finish. It's still a baby even after years in bottle. This should age superbly in bottle. I think this is slightly better than the 2001, one of the freshest and most elegant vintages for this bottling. Bravo! 10,000 bottles were filled in November 2018. Before and after aging in barrel, the Gran Reserva wines also spend some time in oak vats.
Features
Type of wine
Pairings
Style
Occasions
Size
Appellation
Alcohol
12.5%
Description
Ever since Don Rafael López de Heredia founded the winery in 1877, the family has pursued an idea as firm as it is unusual in these times: to make wines that defy time, without haste or concessions. This is the idea behind Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva, a white wine aged as if it were a great red wine, with a decade of ageing in oak barrels and years of bottle ageing before its release. Made from 90% Viura and 10% Malvasía, this wine is the result of a courageous decision taken decades ago: to believe that great white wines could also age nobly.
Winemaking
The vineyards of Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva, in the heart of La Rioja Alta, are located on alluvial, clay-limestone and pebble soils, next to the river Ebro. The climate, with Atlantic influence, gives freshness and tension to the grapes, while the traditional and respectful cultivation guarantees an honest expression of the Rioja terroir. The grapes are harvested by hand, fermentation takes place in barrels with indigenous yeasts, and the wine rests for at least 10 years in used American oak barrels, with half-yearly rackings and clarification with egg whites. It is then bottled unfiltered.
Taste
To the eye, Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva shows tones of old gold with amber reflections. The nose is complex and deep: notes of dried honey, toasted almonds, wax, chamomile, dried fruit and subtle hints of old vanilla and clean leather. When oxygenated, saline and mineral aromas emerge, almost of oxidised green tea or mild curry. The palate is dry, with firm acidity, silky texture and long finish, with echoes of dried fruit, salinity and a slight citrus bitterness that invites further drinking. It is not an easy or fruity white: it is a contemplative wine, with the soul of an old library, that demands attention and rewards with beauty. A radical classic.
Shipping to Peninsular Spain
FREE shipping on orders over 200.00€ or for 18 bottles or more in 6-bottle multiples (24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54 and 60 bottles)Estimated transit time: 2-3 working days.
| Bottles | Price | Over 200.00€ |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | 6.90€ | 0.00€ (-6.90€) |
| 7-12 | 6.90€ | 0.00€ (-6.90€) |
| 13-17 | 12.90€ | 0.00€ (-12.90€) |
| 18 | Free | 0.00€ (Free) |
| 19-23 | 15.90€ | 0.00€ (-15.90€) |
| 24 | Free | 0.00€ (Free) |
| 25-29 | 19.80€ | 0.00€ (-19.80€) |
| 30 | Free | 0.00€ (Free) |
| 31-35 | 22.90€ | 0.00€ (-22.90€) |
| 36 | Free | 0.00€ (Free) |
| 37-41 | 26.90€ | 0.00€ (-26.90€) |
| 42 | Free | 0.00€ (Free) |
| 43-47 | 28.90€ | 0.00€ (-28.90€) |
| 48 | Free | 0.00€ (Free) |
| 49-53 | 33.90€ | 0.00€ (-33.90€) |
| 54 | Free | 0.00€ (Free) |
| 55-59 | 35.90€ | 0.00€ (-35.90€) |
| 60 | Free | 0.00€ (Free) |
| VAT included | ||
