Viña Tondonia 1998 Blanco Reserva

Wine: Viña Tondonia 1998 Blanco Reserva

Winery: R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia (Haro, La Rioja)
Appellation / Region: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 90% Viura, 10% Malvasía
ABV: 12.5%
Winemaking

Hand-harvested. Fermentation in old 60-hectoliter oak vats without temperature control. The wine was aged for 6 years in 225-liter American oak barrels, undergoing two manual rackings per year. Fined with fresh egg whites and bottled directly from the barrel without filtration. It remained in the winery’s underground cellars for a minimum of 9 years prior to its commercial release.

 

Tasting Notes
 

Appearance: Luminous, bright golden yellow; clean, with copper highlights and a lighter sense of density compared to other vintages. It shows very fine legs (tears).

 

Nose: High intensity—open, direct, and expressive, with a notable degree of complexity. It offers an impressive amount of ripe fruit, dried apricots, honey, and orange marmalade, complemented by a very classic expression of its oak aging that still has room to soften. Notes of exotic spices, vanilla, and sweet citrus emerge. Still very "young," with a formidable aging potential.

 

Palate: Extraordinary balance on the palate; orderly, with a lively acidity and fantastic oak integration. Round, savory, and full-bodied; very long, with fine bitter nuances and spectacular class. It is in its early years and promises to be one of the winery's finest whites. It has yet to acquire reductive nuances and possesses significant depth. It has a bright future ahead! A great vintage of white Tondonia that in a few years, with a bit of patience and proper cellaring, will have little to envy the Gran Reserva. The quality level of these LDH whites continues to rise, and at an unbeatable price. Chapeau!

 

Personal Score: 91
Tasting Group Score: 92