I don’t get this dill-pickle character from old Viña Real (1991 and earlier) or from any Lopez de Heredia wines. And I find Imperial absorbs oak well over time. Maybe different sensitivity to this aspect? But for example I find this oak-character in most La Rioja Alta wines except maybe certain ones, like the 1973 Cuvée Centenario, which seems to have gotten the best barrels that year.
envoyer had the 06 Tondonia in 375s for a stupid low price some time ago and I went big. Glad I did. A perfect, perfect glass-or-two-alone wine
CVNE uses a mix of french and american oak on the Imperial, and I assume on the Viña Real as well…so that would reduce/eliminate the dill quality there. La Rioja Alta is all american.
La Rioja Alta 904 is like drinking out of a Claussen jar. Too bad, the materials are so good. I struggle with this wine. I have loved it and hated it.
Been on a trip and off the board. During the trip I paid $24 for a glass of this, it was with cheese at the end of a meal. By L-H standards, this is not much of a vintage, but it is excellent wine and was an absolutely perfect match with the cheese. Didn’t take a full note, but remember that it was very young, although very well balanced. Was there a note of that American oak dill? Yes. Was it subdued and integrated? Yes. Is this one of the world’s very great wineries? Yes.
Dan Kravitz
It was 14 Euro by half bottle in a restaurant in Haro last week. And I think something like 22 for a full bottle at the domain. You must have been some place fancy. Or here in New York where everyone gouges.
I was in some place fancy. Canlis, Seattle. For that food and that setting, worth every penny.
Comparing prices in Spain to prices in the U.S. is apples and oranges.
FWIW, it was the 3rd glass that I split with my guest and the most expensive. No regrets. We got what we paid for.
Dan Kravitz
Popped another after a disappointing 2016 Chateau Beaumont. This Tondonia rocks. Love the citrus acids, red and dried fruits, and range of tobacco, spice and herbs. Has a semi-exotic quality to it. Really excellent.
I’m surprised you don’t drink more of this - I would think the old school style and occasional funk would suit you. My only quibble with these wines is the bottle variation, but I think a lot of that can be attributed to how long they wait before release.
Im also a huge fan of LRA but I think I’m less dill-sensitive, and I’ll probably pick up a bottle of 2010 ardanza and 904 this weekend to decide if I should load up. Lot of hype regarding the 2010s
Agreed.
Your point is identical to the Musar question that was just posed to me, and goes to show how incredibly personal our palates our. Like Musar, on paper, I should be a fan of traditional Rioja. The problem is, American oak just does not jive with my palate. LdH seems to handle it better than most, but it is still present in the note. So while I like it, and very much - and of course will drink it from time to time - these are not wines that I stock up on like my tried and true favorites. Perhaps my palate changes over time, but the good news is, these wines are really not expensive, so always easy to pick them up.
About 2010, I’ve seen a lot of buzz over this vintage, and even Rioja Alta released some special Ardanza that I think they’ve only done like 4-5 times, but I chuckle when I see a “special release” of 50,000 cases (600,000 bottles). Zachy’s has it for $33.
Yeah makes sense. Though it could be worth a gander at the GR.
The good news is that it’s exactly the same price as the past few vintages, which is usually my gripe when it comes to these specially labeled bottles. So no complaints here. 904 has taken a bit of a jump though. I should’ve loaded up on 2004 when it was $40.
I recall hearing from a rep a year or so ago that they made less 2010 904 in the midst of the burning embers of the global economic crisis, as the demand outlook appeared poor, and that the extra juice went into the alberdi, which is why that was such a good wine. But, every review by Luis Gutierrez suggests that they make 150,000 bottles every year, so I don’t know if I was being bullshitted. Then again, do they really make the exact same number of bottles every vintage?
PJ’s is my local go to for Rioja - 28 bucks for the Ardanza, and they run the occasional sale too
I’m a fan of all of the lopez wines, but the 06 is pretty underrated. I picked up a bunch of half bottles. They still have full bottles of the 07 (much better vintage) for 32.
That Alberdi is delicious, and since it is their cheapy, sees far less new oak, which I prefer.
Just now catching this. The 2010 Ardanza at $33 is beyond stupid. I’m just about to pull the trigger myself. Just not sure when to open it. Had the 2005 “regular” reserva last weekend with duck, and it was heavenly.
Lopez is probably my gold standard, though it does take time. If the 94 GR a few months back was infantile (albeit in a way that makes infanticide seem right), the 06 Reserva must be downright fetal.
Unfortunately, older Lopez gets quite expensive, quickly.
I also agree that the 2006 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia is drinking fine right now! Also from Magnum I can confirm ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
For me, year in and year out, one of the premier bargains in the wine world. They age them for over ten years before release and price the wines modestly. The oak treatment is not overpowering and is usually quite integrated by release time. In addition, they age forever.
It is a wine to buy annually.
Cheers!
Marshall
I agree completely on the GRs. In my opinion, all three of the red GRs released from '90s vintages (91, 94, & 95) are at least a decade out (and probably much more) from being anywhere close to coming into their sweet spot. For the Tondonia GR, I think the '85 is in a really good place - and may be one of the less longer aging vintages (though it’s all relative). For the Bosconia, I think it’s the '78 - as I’m convinced the '81 will age the same as other almost immortal vintages such as '64 and '47.
I do find the Reservas tend to be a bit more drinkable on release; however, also believe that most folks also vastly underrate the again curves on them. While my experience with the Reservas doesn’t go back near as far as with the GRs, I have yet to taste one that struck me as anywhere near peak yet.
Unfortunately (well, for me…), the world has caught up with what spectacular wines the RLdH GRs are (red and white). Back in the mid/late-2000s, they did a number of GR library releases - and prices that were incredibly reasonable. I stretched to go as deep as I could at that time; however, in retrospect, I wish I would have stretched further! Oh, well…
Michael
And let’s not bring up the rosato. Looks to sky emoji