2012 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva Blanco, Rioja DOCa, Spain

López de Heredia’s Viña Tondonia Blanco is one of Rioja’s most distinctive traditional white wines, produced from 90% Viura and 10% Malvasía grown in the historic Tondonia vineyard on the banks of the Ebro near Haro. The vineyard’s alluvial clay and limestone soils and old vines provide the foundation for a wine that undergoes an extraordinary six years of aging in barrel, with twice-yearly rackings, before extended bottle maturation. The 2012 is beautifully evolved yet remarkably energetic, with dried pear, pineapple, white truffle, toasted nuts, marzipan, mushroom, seaweed, and citrus carried by bright acidity, subtle tannic grip, and a long, savory, saline finish.

97 points -James Suckling
97 points -Tim Atkin
95 points -Wine Advocate