López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rioja Reserva Tinto 2012

López de Heredia is a true family business, with present custodians María José, her sister Mercedes and brother Julio the fourth generation to produce the elegant, long-lived Riojas that have remained steadfast through war, fashion and new technologies.

During the 1980s and 1990s, when the majority of bodegas embraced modernisation (and its ensuing homogeneity), López de Heredia stuck to the old-school methods laid down by María José’s great-grandfather, Rafael. He established the winery in 1877, when Spanish wine boomed as it supplied a French market whose own vineyards had been ravaged by phylloxera. Rafael took inspiration from the influential Bordeaux châteaux and purchased sites around Haro based on their suitability for emulating the regions that his new Gallic clientele base admired. Tondonia remains one of Rioja's greatest estates.

Made from a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazeulo and Graciano, the estate’s flagship red is Viña Tondonia. Produced in a soft, elegant Médoc style, this is one of our favourite Riojas bar none.