Rioja Gran Reserva Blanco, Vina Tondonia, R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia 1996

Still unreleased (the 1994 has just been launched and this will be sold in 2016), the 1996 Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva is a wine crafted to show the longevity of the wines produced with the grapes from the Tondonia vineyard in Haro. It follows the same path as the other Grandes Reservas, being a blend of grapes (mostly Viura and some 10% Malvasía Riojana) and up to 15% of wine from other vintages used to refill the barrels during the extended ten-year aging. This is more subtle, less expressive than the 1994, and is also lighter and in need of bottle age to develop more complexity. Still, I don't think it will get to the same level as the 1994. The 1996 harvest was a bit shorter, and 6,451 bottles were produced.