López de Heredia Rioja Viña Tondonia Reserva 2011

95 points Tim Atkin, MW: "(13%). Aged for nearly six years in very old barrels, Tondonia is one of Rioja's most proudly traditional wines. Tempranillo dominated, with 20% Garnacha and 5% of both Graciano and Mazuelo, this is complex, mature and well-structured, with plenty of acidity, sinewy tannins, some balsamic sweetness and a taut, focused, age-worthy finish. 2023-35. (2023)"

95 points James Suckling: "A traditional beauty that effuses iron, warm earth and savory tobacco leaves, together with plums, spices and orange zest. This is juicy and still tight, with firm but savory tannins. Medium-weight and quite zesty in texture, as is the case with the other López de Heredia reds tasted this session. Drink now or hold. (9/9/22)"

94 points Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate): "[$60 list] The 2011 Viña Tondonia Reserva is darker and shows riper fruit, a rounder palate and some dusty tannins. A year of ripeness, concentration and tannin, the wine is powerful with the finesse of Tondonia. Tasting this next to the textbook 2010 Tondonia revealed how this has more muscle and a wider back and the 2010 epitomizes the finesse and elegance. It was bottled in May 2019. Drink: 2022-2029. (Jul 2022)"

94 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2011 Vina Tondonia Reserva Rioja was ordered during a run of disappointing wines. It has a youthful nose, probably still too young to broach, with black plum, clove, hints of star anis and smoke. Lovely definition, though not as powerful as other vintages tasted. The palate is quite firm and structured with grippy tannins that frame the dusky black fruit with veins of blue fruit towards the finish. There is a seriousness about this Tondonia that I appreciate, though frankly, I would cellar for another decade. Tasted at Premnord in Burgundy. Drink: 2033-2060. (Jan 2024)"

93 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2011 “Viña Tondonia” Reserva from López de Heredia is crafted this year from a cépages of seventy percent tempranillo, twenty percent garnacha and ten percent from a mix of mazuelo and graciano. It was aged for six years in older American oak barrels of two hundredtwenty-five liter capacity prior to bottling. The wine is showing beautifully at age thirteen, offering up a bright and complex bouquet of raspberries, black cherries, smoked meats, Rioja spice tones, a lovely base of chalky soil, cigar wrapper and a lovely, discreet framing of American oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and just starting to show a bit of velvetiness on the attack, with a lovely core of fruit, moderate tannins, tangy acids, fine focus and grip and a long, complex and impeccably balanced finish. This is already quite tasty, though of course, still in climbing mode and will be even better down the road, as there are some tannins here still to resolve. Fine juice. 2024-2065+. (Jan/Feb 2024)"

93 points Peñín Guide to Spanish Wine: "Pleasant, defined aromas, with personality, age nuances, classic. Colour: Cherry, orangey edge. Nose: expressive, spicy, dried herbs, fine reductive notes. Palate: opulent, full of life, good acidity, classic aged character. (2024)"

93 points Wine Spectator: "[$60 list] Richly savory on the nose, this fresh, sinewy red features a minerally underpinning of petrol, earth, iron and salt to the flavors of juicy dried cherry and cranberry, red licorice and mandarin orange peel. Opens nicely in the glass and on the palate, with the persistent finish showing aromatic herbs and spices, plus more mineral notes. Tempranillo, Garnacho, Graciano and Mazuelo. Drink now through 2031. (3/31/24)"