.. you win some, you lose some!

‘You win some, you lose some, some rained out” ..

Today, we received the news from those good people over at WineSearcher dot com that our Spanish Medal from 2025/26 has been handed over to the esteemed BB&Rudd wine merchants (in London since 1698), many congrats Berry’s! They also told us that our list of Argentine fine wine should deserve their GOLD medal for this year 2026/27. Tremendous! thank you W/S.

In good faith we decided to celebrate our old medal winning Spanish list, so last night we all enjoyed a tasting of both reds (tinto) & whites (blanco) from Bodegas López de Heredia, Haro in Rioja. Every time I pick up a restaurant wine list these days there is always a Viña Tondonia on the list somewhere. Red or White. It just goes to show that even in these current times, an old school bodega like López de Heredia, still produces delicious wines, all made traditionally with indigenous yeasts & aged in their own in-house (cooperage) oak barrels.

The grapes in the Tinto are always a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha (20%) and (5%) Mazuelo & Graciano. The Blanco is made up of (90%) Viura (or Macabeo) and (10%) Malvasia (Riojana). This is what we drank last night, unfortunately I left my tasting notes behind on the table so have borrowed these from our friends:

Blanco

2016 Viña Gravonia ‘Blanco’ Crianza
2016 was a superb vintage in Rioja, and the 2016 Viña Gravonia Blanco, which has the cellar aroma that all the wines, especially the whites, have, due to the longer time the wines spend in barrel. The white vines in this vineyard are now 92 years old and their juice was fermented in old oak vats with indigenous yeasts. They explained, “We have never used selected yeasts.” It was matured in their well-seasoned American oak barrels for four years. It’s paler than any of the other whites, and it has a little less pungency, with very good freshness. It’s elegant, subtle, clean and ethereal.

2014 Viña Tondonia Reserva
2014 Viña Tondonia Blanco Reserva has a bright golden color, almost fluorescent, a complex and nuanced nose reminiscent of the 2016 Viña Gravonia that I tasted next to it, toasty, smoky and spicy, with mushroom and earth, pollen and herbal tea notes, reminiscent of the aromas in their old caves. 2014 was not an easy vintage, and some wines were diluted because of the abundant rains before or during the harvest. This is the usual blend of Viura with 10% Malvasía Riojana from vines averaging 63 years of age on white soils with abundant rocks. It fermented in ancient oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured for six years. It fills your mouth with pungent flavors, despite being medium-bodied and having an ethereal quality about it, and it’s very long and tasty and finishes almost salty, with an umami feeling, dry and chalky. Delicious, clean and still young, it should age effortlessly.

Tinto

2013 Viña Tondonia Reserva
2013 Reserva Viña Tondonia is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 10% Graciano and Mazuelo, grown in the calcareous soils of the Tondonia meander in Rioja Alta. Aged extensively in American oak, it offers restrained black fruit, wild herbs, balsamic hints and sweet spices with gentle cedar and vanilla notes. Medium-bodied with chalky grip and a layered, tertiary finish, this is a benchmark classic refined, enduring and unmistakably Tondonia.

2007 Viña Tondonia Reserva
Following the appreciation of the 2007 vintage from María José López de Heredia, the red 2007 Viña Tondonia Reserva is showing great, revealing unusual finesse and elegance. The nose is a little reticent but nuanced and complex, a little shy rather than explosive. The palate is medium-bodied, and the tannins are very refined. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Viña Tondonia Reserva of recent years.

2004 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva (the first bottle opened was a little flat, even when left to blow off a bit)
The second bottle of 2004 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva didn’t stop growing and changing in the glass for the good three hours that lasted the tasting. This was aromatic (but took some time in the glass to open up), floral, perfumed, elegant and nuanced. The year was excellent, textbook, and the grapes from Viña Tondonia were picked from the 11th of October, the dates from yesteryear. I had the exceptional 2001 Parreno two weeks before I tasted this wine, and I found many similarities between both wines. It has complex notes of forest floor, truffle, wild herbs, spices and mushrooms and a touch of iodine. This is velvety, with super elegant tannins and a supple finish. It has clout and persistence, but there’s also something ethereal about it. It’s full of energy, light and power. This should be almost eternal. Bravo!

A simple equation as to the differences in these Viña Tondonia cuvée(s) is that the Crianza spends 4 years in barrel and then 4 years in bottle before release. Reserva spends 6 years in barrel and then 6 years in bottle. Wait for this…Gran Reserva spends 10 years in barrel and then 10 years in bottle before appearing on the market. Incredible! .. what other winery in the world goes to this sort of trouble. And let´s not forget, to clarify their wines they still use Egg Whites! eggs produced from their own Organic Farm.

OLDER VINTAGES in stock today:
3 bottles 1976 Viña Tondonia Blanco Reserva @ £395 per bottle
5 magnums 2004 Viña Tondonia Tinto Reserva @ £125 per magnum
2 bottles 2004 Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva (100/100pts) @ £295 per bottle

– Lying ex London City Bond VT (Eton Park) .. ‘Under Bond’ as usual –

STOP PRESS…”asset selection is important in fine wine, as there is huge breadth of return depending on what you buy (like stocks) but it is a physical asset with scarcity attributes (like gold). Useful through-lines can be drawn, for the purposes of explanation, to real estate, gold, equities and bonds.. but all analogies fall apart at some point. Really fine wine is very much its own thing.” M.Burry

On 11th September Michael Burry, The Big Short guy, purchased 40 wines (alas! not from me) after screening 700 of them. He said that each case of fine wine sitting in his account at London City Bond can be a short position on U$D. In the mix were Petrus, Mouton-Rothschild, Margaux, D.R.C., Sassicaia, Ornellaia & Solaia. ”Trade smarter & keep drinking’ well’ says W.P.Hancock

Enquiries & Orders: William@worldwineconsultants.com