Viña Tondonia

Great wine, great service.
We couldn’t get a tour here (didn’t book in enough time) — but we opted to stop for a tasting.
We sat outside and enjoyed the atmosphere.
We also bought a few bottles to take back.
Very comfortable and inviting atmosphere!

Visited yesterday and would echo Brett D’s comments. I have been on a number of wine tours in CA and this is so vastly different. Most of the tour is spent in the limestone cooled buildings and cellar (bring a light jacket as its cool) which can be a great escape from the summer heat. Our guide spoke English well and was of course very knowledgeable about the wine making process and history of the vineyard. The cellars were hand dug and a spectacular sight and since i didnt think there was anything scary about it I say 5 stars. Cant recall the number of barrels but there must be 000’s. A highlight was the mold covered stacked bottles of past vintages of which the 1942 red and 1957 white are the oldest. These can be purchased per bottle @1000 euros. I liked the fact that they only produce 5 wines — 3 reds and 2 whites. I liked the 2001 red Tondonia (medium bodied, dry, smooth silky finish) the best and this should easily keep another 5 yrs but very drinkable now.

R Lopez de Heredia is certainly one of the best Riojas I’ve had. Everything down to the foil cage on the bottles is a sign of attention to detail and pride in their wine. The red is one of the best of Rioja but they also make whites, which is a rarity amongst these wines. Certainly a benchmark for the wines of this region

Great visit and a must tour for any true Spanish wine lover.
With 135 years of wine making history, R. Lopez has undoubtedly one of the oldest and richest histories in the Haro, La Rioja region. Still completely family owned, estate grown, and run almost identically as it was a decades ago, not much has changed here over time and that’s exactly how the Lopez de Heredia family likes it. If you want to see a true piece of vino history, this is it. Even down to the cellars.
Oh, hadn’t I mentioned the cellars yet?
Yes, the cellars… made of granite, over a hundred years old, with barely working electricity, dark, damp, narrow and covered in cobwebs and mold that help hold the cellars de creepy to a perfect humidity. No joke. It’s pretty much the place my brain goes in its worst nightmares. Part of going down there is a bit thrilling and the other part is purely frightening (especially when all the lights go out. F**k). Accidentally brushing up against a wall means cobwebs in your hair and mold on your clothes — so, you’ve been warned. But, then again, this is how it is done… how it always was done… and you know what they say, if something ain’t broke…
Just put on your game face.
R. Lopez does beautiful expressions of both red and white Rioja and includes tastings of both (with the paid winery visit tour) in their lovely tasting room far, far away from the cellars.