If you have been drinking the great wines from Spain for years, this is a wine that needs no introduction. If you are exploring Spain for the first time, this is a wine that should be a 100% staple to try. It’s the ultimate in tradition. For many, it is what Rioja is all about.

Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia Reserva is typically a wine that receives MASSIVE critical acclaim but there is something truly special about this 2010 release. Critics are comparing it to the venerable 2005 vintage…but even better. So much so, in fact, that 2010 is the highest-rated overall Rioja vintage on record at Wine Spectator. The weather was idyllic, and in the deft hands of sisters Maria-Jose and Mercedes Lopez de Heredia the wines have never been better.

James Suckling 97 Points

This is as complex and savory as the rest of the Viña Tondonia wines, but also shows a tad more depth, with a hint of black plum and blue fruit on top of the orange rind, iron, tobacco and earthy spices. Expect some cedar and truffle to develop in the future. Juicy, zesty and tight, with a dusty tannins and bright berry fruit on the medium-to full-bodied palate. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate 96 Points

The 2010 Viña Tondonia Reserva has all I expect from a Reserva from Tondonia, complexity, elegance and evolution, a developed nose with notes of forest floor and wild berries, herbs and flowers, a touch of iodine, brick dust and very fine, polished tannins. It has the seriousness and elegance of Tondonia. This is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho (they use the masculine form of the name of the grape) and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo that fermented in the ancient oak vats from when the winery was created 144 years ago and matured in well-seasoned, American oak barrels for six years. It has 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.4 and 6.6 grams of acidity.