1987 Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva

The 1987 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva displays an expressive, perfumed nose with suggestions of cedar, leather, licorice, cocoa and minerals along with ethereal layers of sweet fruit that open in the glass. Although it offers excellent length and prominent acidity which will allow the wine to drink well for at least another decade its overall balance is not quite as outstanding as that of the best Gran Reservas in this tasting.

Orange-tinged red. Aromas of plum, gunflint and tobacco. Dense and silky but penetrating, with ethereal flavors of red fruits, minerals and smoke. Soft, round and resolved yet this also possesses a sappy quality. The sweet fruit carries into a very long, coconutty finish featuring firm-edged tannins. (Tasting old wines in the bodega's spooky, cobwebbed cellar can be thrilling, but in recent years I have had considerable difficulty finding fresh bottles of the Lopez de Heredia wines in the U.S. market. This time around I was lucky.)

The Vina Tondonia cuvee is packaged in Bordeaux-shaped bottles versus the Burgundy-shaped bottles of the Vina Bosconia. The 1987 Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva reveals a light, feeble-looking, pinkish/garnet color with some amber at the edge. The nose offers up notions of sweet caramel, cherries, and strawberries as well as damp earth, forest floor, and burnt herbs. Medium-bodied and gentle, with a distinctive graphite/earthy component in the mouth, it is definitely an acquired taste, particularly for consumers weaned on fruit-forward Riojas. Nevertheless, there is a lot to respect and enjoy in this complex offering. Drink it over the next 5-6 years. Importer: Think Global, Santa Barbara, CA; tel. (805) 965-4796