Sunday, March 3, 2013

2000 Lopez de Heredia "Viña Tondonia" Gran Reserva Rosado

Rosado

This wine is from the Rioja region of Spain. Rosado (or rosé wine from Spain) is very food friendly and, similar to the French rosés, rosado is a part of life in the local enclaves (especially during lunch time). Not many bottles of this rosado are imported into the United States and it is also unheard of for a rosé to be held in bottle 6 years prior to release. I enjoyed a bottle of the 2000 Lopez de Heredia "Viña Tondonia" Gran Reserva Rosado Rioja. This wine is a blend of 60% Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo and 10% Viura aged for 4.5 years in oak and 6 years in bottle, as stated before. This wine has an alcohol content of 12.5%. 

On the nose: The color on this is crazy.  Orange, rust and copper.  The color reminds me of a dawn sun where the sun is trying to peek out of the clouds and the sky changes to the most amazing colors.  Smell of nuts, almonds and macadamia nuts. Also smells like a piggy bank full of pennies.  Can’t say I ever smelt this in a wine.  Worth the price of admission just to smell some of these scents in a wine.

Palate: Sour Patch Kids.  The acidity is off the charts.  It would be almost unbearable to drink without any sort of food.  Think this would go great with some loin of lamb over swiss chard and beet salad topped with a little tzadziki sauce.  It almost has an oxidized taste, but then you realize that this rosado was in the bottle for so long.  This wine is for the adventurous and not for the faint of heart.  Could be off putting to some.

Rating Scale (out of 5 +):
+++¾


Price: $20


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