Winemaker Notes
Natural gold in color, with a fresh, complex and developed nose. Smooth, round, and fine on the palate.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2013 Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia is a blend of 90% Viura and 10% Malvasía Riojana from the Tondonia vineyard, situated along the Ebro River. Aged for six years in oak barrels and an additional two years in the bottle, this wine defies expectations of youth with its bright amber hue. Subtle aromas of honey, dried apricot, tangerine peel and faint oak greet the senses. Initially rich and overwhelming, it evolves into a gently chalky flow with a refreshing touch on the palate. This complex white wine, with its long-lasting finish and final hint of hazelnut, stands for its aging potential like Rioja whites of old.
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James Suckling
An open, balsamic expression of Tondonia. It’s charming and complex, with white truffles, biscuits, roasted macadamia nuts and a touch of Parmesan cheese. Bright and expressive, with a medium body and a long, fluid finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
We talked a lot about the challenging 2013, but they defended the wines. "There was a big crop, and it was not easy, but it was possible to make great wines." The 2013 Viña Tondonia Blanco Reserva has nutty aromas, perhaps showing a little more development, but according to Mercedes López de Heredia, "[With] the old vines with the right rootstock, in the right soils, you can have more or less quality, but you're not going to have a disaster." It's a wine that has to have aging potential, and they need to start with good grapes, so they harvested earlier, as their grapes were riper because they had lowered their yields. They took risks, and I think they got it right. The palate has intense and pungent flavors, a velvety mouthfeel and a vibrant core of acidity, with a fine thread and a chalky finish. But it's a slightly weaker year. 14,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2022.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
Highly regarded for distinctive and age-worthy red wines, Rioja is Spain’s most celebrated wine region. Made up of three different sub-regions of varying elevation: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental. Wines are typically a blend of fruit from all three, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta, at the highest elevation, is considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier Rioja Oriental produce wines with deep color and higher alcohol, which can add great body and richness to a blend.
Fresh and fruity Rioja wines labeled, Joven, (meaning young) see minimal aging before release, but more serious Rioja wines undergo multiple years in oak. Crianza and Reserva styles are aged for one year in oak, and Gran Reserva at least two, but in practice this maturation period is often quite a bit longer—up to about fifteen years.
Tempranillo provides the backbone of Rioja red wines, adding complex notes of red and black fruit, leather, toast and tobacco, while Garnacha supplies body. In smaller percentages, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) often serve as “seasoning” with additional flavors and aromas. These same varieties are responsible for flavorful dry rosés.
White wines, typically balancing freshness with complexity, are made mostly from crisp, fresh Viura. Some whites are blends of Viura with aromatic Malvasia, and then barrel fermented and aged to make a more ample, richer style of white.