"[...] It was an excellent year, and the grapes from Viña Tondonia were harvested starting on October 11—the dates of yesteryear. I tasted the exceptional 2001 Parreno two weeks before tasting this wine, and I found many similarities between the two wines. It displays complex notes of forest floor, truffle, wild herbs, spices, and mushrooms, along with a hint of iodine. It is velvety, with very elegant tannins and a supple finish. It is powerful and persistent, yet it also has an ethereal quality. It is full of energy, light, and power. It should be nearly eternal. Bravo!” (Wine Advocate 2024)
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Eye
Bright ruby color
Nose
Delicate, refined, and complex, with notes of licorice, dried orange peel, cedar, and truffle
Palate
Velvety and creamy texture, well-integrated tannins, aromatic, flawless balance and incredible complexity, with a long, intense finish featuring spicy and forest-like flavors
Serve
At 18–20°C, let it breathe gently in the glass for 5–10 minutes
Open
2 hours before
Drink starting at
2024
Drink before
2044
Food and Wine Pairings
Enjoy it with a quail stuffed with fresh porcini mushrooms, chicken liver with raspberry sauce, or roast suckling pig...
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate
Wine rated (2024 guide) 100/100 (Exceptional!)
Estate rated "Recommended" (Wine producer recommended by Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate)
About the wine:
The 2004 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva continued to develop and evolve in the glass throughout the three full hours that the portfolio tasting lasted. I had tasted this wine during my previous visit (they generally don’t open future Gran Reserva vintages), and I had been very impressed. This wine was aromatic (though it took some time to open up in the glass), floral, fragrant, elegant, and nuanced. It was an excellent vintage, and the grapes from Viña Tondonia were harvested starting on October 11—a date from days gone by. I tasted the exceptional 2001 Parreno two weeks before tasting this wine, and I found many similarities between the two. It features complex notes of forest floor, truffle, wild herbs, spices, and mushrooms, along with a hint of iodine. It is velvety, with very elegant tannins and a supple finish. It is powerful and persistent, yet it also has an ethereal quality. It is full of energy, light, and power. It should be nearly eternal. Bravo! 2024–2044
Vinous
Wine rated (2023 guide) 97/100
About the wine:
A time capsule from La Rioja: that’s the impression you’ll get when tasting López de Heredia’s wines, particularly the 2004 Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia. The 2004 is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano, grown in the meander of the Ebro River in La Rioja Alta. Aged for ten years in oak barrels and an additional ten years in the bottle, this deep-red wine offers nuances of dried black fruits, licorice, hazelnut, and cedar, along with aromas of resin, cola, and spices. 2024–2030
James Suckling
Wine rated (2024 guide) 98/100
Rated "Recommended"
About the wine:
A beautifully aged Gran Reserva that showcases the more traditional side of Rioja. Dried blood orange peel, white pepper, dried thyme, iron, berries, minerals, black sesame seeds, and old books. Very bright and firm, with a full body and an extremely bright, long finish. If I were to buy a bottle, I’d want to keep it for a few more years. Drink now or cell it.
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