Description
Lopez de Heredia – one of the most venerable producers in Spain – produces traditional, age-worthy Rioja. Their wines are legendary and still made the way they were when the winery was founded over 130 years ago. Following a tradition that has been passed down through generations, their wines are released at least 5-10 years after the harvest, which provides added complexity and elegance to their Crianzas and Gran Reservas.
Tasting Notes
I love the rosé 2012 Viña Tondonia Rosado Gran Reserva, perhaps the finest vintage (together with the 2010) of the modern releases produced again since 2008. It’s a textbook example of this unusual rosé a blend of 60% Garnacho (they use the masculine form of the name of the grape), 30% Tempranillo and 10% Viura that matured in American oak barrels for four years, during which time the wine acquired an orange color and a nutty nose with notes of candied orange peel, mushroom and forest floor. It’s only 12.5% alcohol and has a pH of 3.3. 15,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2018. [96+ Points, Luis Gutierrez – July 2022, robertparker.com]
