López de Heredia Rioja Viña Tondonia Reserva 2013

97 points Joaquín Hidalgo (Vinous): "The 2013 Reserva Viña Tondonia is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 10% Graciano and Mazuelo, grown in the calcareous soils of the Tondonia meander in Rioja Alta. Aged extensively in American oak, it offers restrained black fruit, wild herbs, balsamic hints and sweet spices with gentle cedar and vanilla notes. Medium-bodied with chalky grip and a layered, tertiary finish, this is a benchmark classic—refined, enduring and unmistakably Tondonia. Drink: 2025-2055. (May 2025)"

96 points Tim Atkin, MW: "(13%) Patrician is the word that springs to mind when you taste a Viña Tondonia red. Even in one of the worst Rioja vintages of the last 20 years, the quality of the terroir and Mercedes López de Heredia's winemaking shine through. A wine that often benefits from decanting, this is a seamless cuvée of Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 5% each of Mazuelo and Graciano, with impressive focus and freshness, savoury, sinewy tannins and a red-fruited, earthy palate that flirts between sweetness and sourness. Gloriously unique. (2025)"

95 points Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate): "[$65 list] 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. 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... Drink: 2025-2040. (2/27/25)"