Review: Lopez Heredia 2002 Vina Tondonia

The low-down: The R Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia is the 2nd in our series of Rioja's leading traditional blends. Rioja stands out for its size and its affordability. The region has 62,000 ha under vine spanning seven rivers and three different administrative regions. Rioja has also experienced considerable growth over the last 20 years: from an annual production of half a million barrels to 1.2 million today. What we like about Rioja is that it offers the opportunity to access aged wines at affordable prices.

Indeed, we picked this up for E20 last November in Spain, impressively cheap for a 13 year old leading wine. R Lopez de Heredia was founded in 1877 and since then has remained true to the traditional style of Rioja: aromatic, delicate, long ageing in American Oak, and a blend of tempranillo (75%) with garnacho (15%), graciano and mazuelo (10%). In comparison, progressive Rioja producers are more focused on reflecting the terroir of their grapes (and therefore minimizing external influences) by using tempranillo only and ageing in French oak.

The 2002 vintage was the 2nd smallest harvest in 10 years and was officially declared "Buena" by the Rioja Consejo Regulador.

The take: On appearance, a dark browny red. Transparent and with light, orange edges showing age. On the nose, smokey, honey, jammy and chalky. On the attack, acidic, strong (for a 13 year old wine), sour, almost salty initially. A curious mix of savoury notes and overripeness. With some time and a decant it settles down (but it isn't delicate) with vanilla, cream, blueberry, coffee and fruit spice.

In closing: A 13 year old that packs a (little too much) punch.

Rating: 6 out of 10.

Fact corner:

Country: Spain

Region: Rioja (DOC) Reserva

Producer: R Lopez de Heredia

Vintage: 2002

Grape: Tempranillo, Garnacho, Graciano, Mazuelo

Alcohol content: 12.5%

Serving temperature: 18-20°

Price range: Mid-range

#photo #review #red #rioja #spain #midrange #2002 #456outof10