Lot presentation

Rioja DOCA R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco 1981

The wine

The Rioja designation area, located in northern Spain in the Ebro valley, is divided into three production sectors: Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. The Rioja vineyard occupies approximately 60,000 hectares spread on both sides of the Ebro over around a hundred kilometres, and is bordered by the Cantabrian Range to the north and the Sierra de la Demanda to the south. Three autonomous communities inhabit the designation area: the Rioja itself, Navarro and the Basque Country. Rioja is known for its excellent red wines (85% of production), made essentially from the tempranillo variety. But its produce also includes innovative and surprising whites that are fermented in barrels, `claret' rosés (very pale, fresh and fruity with an `onion skin' colour) and `vins de cépage' (reds, whites and rosés). The whites feature a greenish yellow colour that varies in paleness, with a delicate nose. They are light with a relatively low alcohol content. The Viura is the dominant white grape variety.