López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rioja, Spain's most traditional winery. Part 2.

Part two of Heredia Tondonia.  The revenge.  The sequel. This installment covers the current red releases as well as the older red vintages poured at the tasting.  I guess I should start out by thanking Monica Nogues of Think Global Wines, the distributor for Heredia Tondonia here in the states.  She is pictured pouring at the tasting, which she did with grace and composure throughout the night.  Thank you Monica!  Well, I raved about the whites, which are truly among the most unique wines produced today, except that they have been produced that way for a very long time.  About the only thing that is not traditional about this winery that I can find is the modern structure which has been literally dropped over an older structure.  But then again, that is Spain.  Think Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, for example.  And let's discuss the history of the winery a bit more shall we.  Start with those beautiful old school bottles.  Why are they covered in wire you ask?  Well, good question, they were traditionally covered in wire as an additional protection against fraud.  See, back in the olden days, unscrupulous sorts would uncork and drink the wine in transit and replace it with god knows what.  The wire became an additional precaution to labeled corks and labeled capsules (the foil thing that is usually over the top of the bottle and the cork).  Heredia Tondonia covers the tops of their gran reserva bottlings with wax, as opposed to the standard capsule.  Additional insurance.  Anyway, I think it is time to move onto the reds, which can be equally as interesting as the whites or the history of the Heredia Tondonia.

Heredia  2004 Viña Cubillo Crianza 2004  $29.99
This medium bodied Rioja is garnet in color, with a nose of roses, fresh earth, and pepper cured meats.  It also has good acidity and freshness.  A young traditional Rioja that could pair with almost any type of fair, but a evening of mixed tapas sounds about right.  88 Points.

Heredia 2000 Viña Tondonia Reserva  $49.99
For me this was the star from the reds.  Medium garnet in color, as all the reds turned out to be, not much browning of the edges of these wines, no matter what the age.  There was a slight oxidized quality to this wine on the nose, but it also packs eucalyptus, charred oak sherry barrels, and blood sausage with subtle red fruits and floral aromas.  This wine seems equally mature and young at the same time.  91 Points.

Heredia 2001 Viña Bosconia Reserva  $37.99
This wine is a bit different, the bottle shape suggests a different style of wine as well.  To me, it has hints of a Rhone wine in terms of the fruit.  Medium garnet color with a nose of sour cherry, pomegranate and red cherry.  There is a good round mouth feel and good acidity.  89 Points.

Heredia 1991 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva  $110.00
This was the first of the older vintages that were opened at the tasting.  There was only one bottle of each and it was great to taste these older wines as they are pretty rare.  The 1991 had a great bright berry quality, a bright garnet color, and good acidity.  There are also flavors of liquorish, black pepper and dried Italian herbs.  90 Points.

Heredia 1985 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva  $149.99
This wine had a richer quality than the 1991.  There are flavors of grilled meat, and a rose like floral nose.  89 Points.

Heredia 1981Viña Bosconia Gran Reserva  $144.99
Still bright garnet in color, as all the red wines seemed to be.  There were hints of smoked fire, and lots of bright cherry and floral notes.  Good acidity and still drinking very well.  90 Points.

Well that concludes the wines tasted from Heredia Tondonia.  It was an epic tasting, though these wines are not power houses, but rather restrained and subtle wines which leave you searching for the words to describe them.  As María José López de Heredia stated:  "The best wine is the one you cannot describe."

Marcato 2007 Barattaro, Pinot Nero

So I met my wife and son at a birthday barbecue at a friend's house last night and was given a glass of red wine.  I didn't ask what it was, thought I would try and guess.  Well I guessed it was Pinot Noir, which is usually a pretty easy red to identify, as it is usually lighter and more delicate than Cabernet, Shiraz, etc.  After my educated guess, I headed over to the bottle and I was right, but it was a Pinot Noir from Italy, known as Pinot Nero.  The wine was the 2007 Marcato Barattaro.  Usually one thinks France or California, or even Oregon for Pinot Noir, but this was a pleasant little surprise from Italy.  Not sure I have had a Pinot from Italy and I don't think they are that common either.  But, I really liked this wine, it was very easy to drink and it had delicate berry and floral aromas, but also backed it up with some nice earthy flavors and decent acidity.  I was able to find out that this is an estate grown Pinot Nero from Veneto, vinified in stainless steel and wood for nine months before aging 16 months in Moldavian oak casks.  This is not the most complex Pinot ever, but it goes a bit further than your average everyday priced Pinot in the flavor department.  Great wine for summer I think as you can pretty much enjoy this with anything from burgers (notice one on the bottom right of the photo!) to fish tacos or a hearty salad.  Drank great on its own as well at the BBQ and I was sad when it ran out.  I asked the host who brought it and she said, in fact, my wife had.  She said she had picked it up at our local shop on he way and had paid $18.  I think this sounds like a fair price for an above average Pinot with some great character.  88 Points.

Burlotto 1995 Barolo Monvigliero

Chambers Street Wines, $44.99

This mature Barolo shows subtle aromas of raspberries and violets, but quickly gives way to tar, petrol, and caramel. Brick in color now, with some subtle garnet in the center. There is a long finish, but it would have been interesting to taste this wine a few years ago when it was probably at its peak. Still always nice to taste a mature Barolo. 88 Points.