R. López de Heredia - Viña Tondonia — Attraction in Haro

OK folks, this is simply the best wine made in Haro. Why? They have been doing it longer than most, doing it as a family, doing it with much longer aging in the oak barrels than any other winery in Haro and it results in fabulous wines.

This family-owned winery makes highly individual wines in a style essentially unchanged since its inception in 1877. They grow all their grapes using organic methods, ferment using only natural yeasts and do not filter their wines. They employ four full-time coopers to make their barrels. Gravonia, Tondonia, Bosconia and Cubillo are all individual vineyards which have been in the family for generations. Patience is a family watchword, as this bodega thinks nothing of waiting twenty years before releasing a wine.

Their "Crianzas" are aged like others' "Reservas"; the "Reservas" as long as others' "Gran Reservas"...and the ultimate accolade of "Gran Reserva" is accorded to only the very greatest vintages. Rarely are there more than three of these in a decade

We did not tour here because we were blitzing through all the Haro wineries in one day. Take the tour because they have their own barrel-making operation. The only winery in La Rioja who does that.

We spent 3 weeks in La Rioja tasting at 30 wineries and this is either #2 or #3 out of all of them. The price point in country is higher than most and for a damn good reason. They make spectacular wine.

Do not waste your palate or your time/money with other wineries in Haro that cater to the blue-haired bus tour groups. This is wine heaven.

It can be found in the US at specialty shops at a price level above $40 for the Crianza and above $50 for...

An absolute must-visit for fans of traditionally-styled Rioja, R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia offers an absolutely exceptional visit and tour. Very highly recommended, as by far one of the best in Rioja. Luis was a fantastic guide--generous with his time and knowledge. Due to capacity constraints, tours are presently only offered by advance reservation to persons with a professional connection to the wine industry. The tour itself runs approximately two hours, and allows for experience of all the production facilities, including fermentation rooms, aging, and the cooperage, as well as seeing the bank of the Ebro below the winery.

The tour concludes with a very relaxed tasting of the current releases of Tondonia and Bosconia.

R. Lopez de Heredia always puts out a fantastic product, and offers an excellent range of both current releases of Cubillo (crianza), Bosconia (reserva), Tondonia (gran reserva and rose), and Gravonia (white), as well as an extensive collection of library wines. The 2001 Tondonia and 2005 Bosconia are highly recommended.

Tastings for the general public are also available in outdoor spaces near the Zaha Hadid-designed pavilion (shaped like a decanter), with sales inside. If visiting only one winery in Haro's train station district, would recommend to make it R....

What a wonderful experience we had at López de Heredia. It was very easy to set up our tour a couple months beforehand by email, and the tour itself was well worth it. Our guide, Beatriz, was very informative about the total winemaking process, all the way from picking the grapes to bottling the wine. If given the opportunity, I highly recommend a tour here. As for the wines, they are excellent. The Crianza and Reserva were both smooth yet bold, with subtle flavor hints depending on the grapes used. The Gran Reserva was simply a cut above most other wines I have tried. My only regret is that it is not available to buy in bottles at this time, as their Gran Reservas are typically limited productions, and only in years deemed to be “excellent”. López de Heredia is the leading winery in the region...