Ardanza 2019 & Tondonia 2013 – In case you missed them

Rioja’s El Classico – Your last chance to buy two benchmark Rioja Reservas

In case you missed it last week; we offered a brace of phenomenal Rioja Reservas that have recently released. Ardanza and Tondonia are ubiquitous labels made by Haro heavyweights – La Rioja Alta and Lopez de Heredia. These producers craft some of the best wine from Spain. However, this brilliance comes at great cost to both estates in terms of the money, effort and the time it takes to hone wines borne out of centuries of tradition. Yet stylistically they couldn’t be further apart.

La Rioja Alta’s Vina Ardanza 2019 is full bodied, unctuous and decadent; brimming with fresh berry fruit and wonderful acidity that cuts through the wine’s oak chassis. While Lopez de Heredia’s Tondonia 2013 is fine boned, ethereal and unbelievably classic, it confers a kaleidoscopic array of flavours and aromas, and yet, is still fruit driven.

Where these wines do not differ, is that, from a relative point of view, they cost very little. They are certainly worth your time, as well as a berth in your wine rack or cellar. We promise you; they will not disappoint!

Our tasting notes for the pair are below, as are links to explore both wines further.

La Rioja Alta, Ardanza, Reserva, Rioja, 2019, 6x75cl - £120 per 6 IB

La Rioja Alta is the most luxuriant and hedonistic producer amongst its illustrious peers in Haro. A benchmark producer, they are known for traditionally crafted Rioja and famed for their eponymous 890 and 904 brands. Established in 1890, their core Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva lines: Alberdi, Ardanza and Arana are named after the founding families, all of whom are still shareholders. These wines are the springboard into the estate’s top tier wines, and they seldom disappoint from a price to quality point of view.

The estate’s commitment to offering a Rioja Reserva in their mid-range means that they choose to declassify Vina Ardanza from what is technically a Gran Reserva. It goes through the same arduous ageing requirements as any top Gran Reserva but does not bear the extra ageing on the label. The wine is a classic blend of Tempranillo (80%) and Garnacha (20%). As ever the wines are aged in used American oak barrels made by in-house coopers where they stay for 36 months followed by a further three years in bottle.

2019 was a stellar year in Rioja – Excellent, according to the Consejo Regulador. Critically it is being compared on a qualitative par with the revered 2001 and 2015 vintages. Unsurprisingly, La Rioja Alta have outdone themselves with this iteration of Ardanza. It is bright, fragrant and spicy, with classical La Rioja Alta notes of polished leather, mahogany and clove. That said, they have clearly scaled back the new oak and that shines through in the pervasive fruit profile. It boasts an impressively vibrant and refreshing core of red and black berries, cherries and ripe plum, as well as some alluring baking spices with vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. This impeccably made (Gran) Reserva will appeal to traditionalists and modernists alike – its irresistible flavour profile and immaculate balance make it a joy to drink now, but it will provide abundant pleasure over the coming 10-15 years.

“No 2018 was produced, so after the 2017 I tasted last year, we jumped to the 2019 Viña Ardanza Reserva, produced with a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha. It fermented destemmed in stainless steel and aged in American oak barrels, 36 months for the Tempranillo and 30 months for Garnacha, and was blended before bottling. 2019 is a very good year for them, a small crop of powerful and concentrated wines when they produced all their brands, an exception. This is spicy, structured, balanced and powerful in this warm year, reaching the customary 14.5% alcohol and keeping a pH of 3.54 and 5.5 grams of acidity. It's still very young and undeveloped, with the classical profile, generous in American oak aromas and flavors that should slowly integrate in the wine with years in bottle. For them, 2019 means a change in Ardanza, less spicy (but still quite spicy, with clove, vanilla and tobacco leaves) and with more fresh fruit from the Garnacha. But the year is a modern version of 2015. 500,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2023. No 2023 or 2024 will be produced either.” 94 Points, Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate, (Tasted Feb 2025) Drink 2025-2038

“It is bright, fragrant and spicy, with classical La Rioja Alta notes of polished leather, mahogany and clove. That said, they have clearly scaled back the new oak and that shines through in the pervasive fruit profile. It boasts an impressively vibrant and refreshing core of red and black berries, cherries and ripe plum, as well as some alluring baking spices with vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest.”

Vina Tondonia, Tinto Reserva, Bodegas R Lopez de Heredia, 2013, 6x75cl - £162 per 6 IB

No one in the world makes wine like Lopez de Heredia. The iconic Rioja producer have just released the ‘latest’ iteration of their famed Tondonia Reserva, the 2013 vintage… No, that is not a typo. The grapes were harvested twelve years ago; then, following fermentation, spent six years in barrel and six years in bottle. Therefore, maturing for six years longer than is required for a Gran Reserva, let alone a Reserva. Tasting Tondonia, of any age, is a unique thrill. It feels like you have been transported back in time to taste a piece of history – As though every bottle is a 75cl Tardis adorned with golden twine.

The kaleidoscopic flavour and aroma profile of the 2013 is beguiling. Ceps and truffle waft immediately from the glass but are then subsumed by fresh fruits: redcurrant, cherry, sour plum, blackcurrant and stewed blueberries. Pipe tobacco, black tea, damp earth and hedgerow brambles appear on the mid palate with a smattering of subtle clove, nutmeg, dried flowers, orange peel as well as a hint of cocoa nibs. On the finish there is a piquant meaty note with a little iodine, dry blood and salty crushed oyster shell that lingers long after the wine has gone. This is a supreme, classic Tondonia. Still youthful, with abundant fruit and only just starting to show early signs of tertiary maturation. The wine, as ever, is released 'ready to drink', though the initiated will know that they are capable of almost indefinite cellaring.

The Tondonia vineyard is a warm single site that sits between Rioja Alta and Alavesa on clay and limestone soils at an altitude of 480m, further enhanced by proximity to the banks of the river Ebro. The Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo used are fermented in ancient giant oak tanks, before supremely long elevage in used American oak (made in-house) and in bottle.

“The canonical red 2013 Viña Tondonia Reserva has a developed nose of dried roses and tar that transported me to Piamonte but soon took me back to the López de Heredia cellars in Haro with the mixture of mushrooms, truffles, damp earth and decayed leaves, hints of brick dust and spice. 2013 was a rainy year, with 753 liters of it, well above the average of 530 liters in Haro. It was also a cooler year, and the ripeness was slow, so they didn't start picking until the seventh of October, but they had to hurry up because of the risk of botrytis. The crop was not so big, because they suffered from hail in July that affected the Viña Tondonia, coupled with strong winds that broke many branches. The breakdown in 2013 comes to 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo that fermented in old oak vats with indigenous yeasts. All the wines age in old American oak barrels in their caves, in this case for no less than six years. It comes in at 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.4 and 6.6 grams of acidity, perhaps a lighter vintage with higher acidity that translates into a lot of energy, a fine-boned palate and very fine tannins with a vibrant finish. 190,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2021. It should be released in the spring of 2025, almost 12 years after the harvest. And look at the price...”

95 Points, Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate (Tasted Feb 2025) - Drink 2025-2040

“Ceps and truffle waft immediately from the glass but are then subsumed by fresh fruits: redcurrant, cherry, sour plum, blackcurrant and stewed blueberries. Pipe tobacco, black tea, damp earth and hedgerow brambles appear on the mid palate with a smattering of subtle clove, nutmeg, dried flowers, orange peel as well as a hint of cocoa nibs. On the finish there is a piquant meaty note with a little iodine, dry blood and salty crushed oyster shell that lingers long after the wine has gone.”