Viña Zaconia Abocado 6º Año (1969)

Wine: Viña Zaconia Abocado 6º Año (1969)

Winery: R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia (Haro, La Rioja)
Appellation / Region: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 90% Viura, 10% Malvasía.
ABV: 17%

Winemaking
Grapes sourced entirely from the Viña Zaconia estate. Hand-harvested. Fermentation took place in old 60-hectoliter oak vats without temperature control. The wine was aged for 60 months in seasoned 225-liter American oak barriques, with two traditional manual rackings performed each year. Bottled directly from the barrel, unfiltered, in March 1976. It rested for a minimum of 6 months in the winery’s subterranean cellars (calados) prior to its commercial release. 

 

Tasting Notes

 

Appearance: Old gold hue with brilliant orange and golden reflections. It displays a remarkable sense of viscosity with fine, permanent legs.

 

Nose: Exceptional intensity with a striking resemblance to the house’s legendary White Gran Reservas. It opens with profound oxidative aging notes: solera nuances, cedar, noble wood, chestnut staves, and a damp, shaded forest floor (monte umbrío). As it breathes, layers of honeycomb and beeswax emerge, slowly evolving into candied fruit, quince, acacia flower, fragrant broom and aromatic herbs. It is immensely complex and metamorphic—becoming cleaner and more expressive of its long bottle life with every minute. It finishes with notes of roasted apple, lemon zest, and a faint, ethereal touch of vanilla. Spectacular.

 

Palate: Unexpectedly, the anticipated sweetness has almost entirely vanished, likely due to decades of autolysis and perfect integration. It is voluminous, oily, and broad. The palate is packed with dried fruits—dried apricots, currants, honey, and quince—all brilliantly countered by a "saber-strike" of acidity. It demands to be sipped with reverence. The wine saturates the senses, leading to a dizzying, everlasting finish. An atypical, profound, and essential white wine.

 

Personal Score: 100
Tasting Group Score: 100