Rioja Gran Reserva Vina Bosconia, R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia 2004

The 2004 Viña Bosconia Gran Reserva is very open, expressive and aromatic right away—as soon as it was poured into the glass—while the Tondonia took time to open up. This has a very elegant nose, and despite having less Garnacha than the Tondonia, it has a more Garnacha nose, a little heady with notes of cherries in liqueur and iodine (think Rayas). It has an elegant texture, very fine tannins and pungent flavors, and it's persistent and powerful while keeping balance and freshness. The Bosconia Vineyard is a cooler vineyard that delivers fresher wines; the grapes were picked quite late, from the 20th of October, later than the ones from the Tondonia vineyard. Only 6,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2019. Some of these vintages have had a much longer élevage, though not necessarily all in barrel, as the wines also spent time in the ancient oak vats.