Wine Advisor
R. Lopez de Heredia, Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Rosado 2010
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Bright, copper-hued orange. Intensely perfumed strawberry, cherry, blood orange and floral scents are complemented by emerging spiciness and a hint of nuttiness. Energetic red berry, citrus fruit and candied rose flavors show impressive depth as well as vivacity. Lingers with outstanding tenacity on the penetrating finish, which strongly echoes the floral, spice and red fruit notes. This singular wine is showing even better than it did a year ago.
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
The 2010 Viña Tondonia Rosado Gran Reserva was hitting on all cylinders. It was produced with 60% Garnacho (they use the masculine of the name here), 30% Tempranillo and 10% white Viura from vines averaging 91 years of age. Like all the wines, it fermented with indigenous yeasts (they have never used selected yeasts) in the 142 oak vats they have used since the beginning and then matured in old American oak barrels for four years. There is tons of complexity and nuance here; it's super elegant and layered, and as the wine sat in the glass, it developed more and more complex aromas, a subtle combination of balsam, red acid berries, a hint of medicine, fennel and wet chalk, a diesel-like touch, old wood and mushroom (beetroot?), licorice and yellow flowers, sweet spices... There's a lot more of everything. It's clean and crystalline, fresh and long, with terrific balance and depth. This has to be the finest rosado of recent times... 25,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2016.
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
The 2010 Viña Tondonia Rosado Gran Reserva was hitting on all cylinders. It was produced with 60% Garnacho (they use the masculine of the name here), 30% Tempranillo and 10% white Viura from vines averaging 91 years of age. Like all the wines, it fermented with indigenous yeasts (they have never used selected yeasts) in the 142 oak vats they have used since the beginning and then matured in old American oak barrels for four years. There is tons of complexity and nuance here; it's super elegant and layered, and as the wine sat in the glass, it developed more and more complex aromas, a subtle combination of balsam, red acid berries, a hint of medicine, fennel and wet chalk, a diesel-like touch, old wood and mushroom (beetroot?), licorice and yellow flowers, sweet spices... There's a lot more of everything. It's clean and crystalline, fresh and long, with terrific balance and depth. This has to be the finest rosado of recent times... 25,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2016.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Copper-tinted orange color. A wild, expansive bouquet displays an array of red fruit and floral qualities, along with hints of baking spices, vanilla, orange pith and toasted nuts. Stains the palate with gently sweet strawberry, tangerine, hazelnut pastry and candied rose flavors that are firmed by a spine of juicy acidity. Shows excellent depth as well as energy and finishes extremely long and silky, with resonating florality and a sappy red berry quality.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2010 Rosado Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia from R. Lopez de Heredia is an absolute gem. Matured for four years in American oak, it has an ethereal bouquet with hints of wild strawberry, crème fraiche, garrigues and lanolin. It is very complex compared to just about any other Rosé you could think of. The palate is crisp and pure, dancing on the tongue with real intensity. There’s a paradoxical weight, yet it feels like it’s walking on tiptoes, gently fanning out on the finish that has a touch of viscosity.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Thankfully, the 2010 Rosado Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva from R. Lopez de Heredia is an obvious choice at a decent price. It’s a wonderful Rioja, blackcurrant, orange rind and white flowers on a nose that is lighter and more elegant than other vintages. Again, the palate is comparatively light and breezy, with fine-boned tannins, dark cherries and blackberry fruit. It is pretty linear and almost conservative in style. But it’s just delicious, and the simplicity of the food means that it acts as the perfect foil. This is accompanied by a pint of Guinness. Now, I have never been partial to Ireland’s most famous export. I’m advised to try a small glass because Carroll and Rogers traveled to Dublin to find out why it tastes much better on the Emerald Isle. They got the recipe and recreated it here, and it is delicious. It’s probably why they get through so many kegs each day in London. If you like Guinness, this is the best in London.
About the Producer
The vineyards of the Lopez Redia winery are the basis for the development of the winery. Consistently producing high-quality wines requires having your own vineyard, which overcomes the reliance on sourcing grapes from small vineyards and avoids erratic quality. The Vina Tondonia vineyard is one of the most spectacular in the Hari region. It is located in a sunken basin, surrounded by the Ebro River as a peninsula, and the soil is composed of siltstone, limestone. The area of the vineyard is 100 hectares. The Vina Bosconia vineyard is located next to the Ebro River at an altitude of 465 meters, one kilometer from the winery. The vines are planted on the south-facing slopes of the mountains, where ample sunshine provides them with perfect ripening conditions. The Vina Cubillas vineyard is 465 meters above sea level, and the average age of the vines in the garden is 40 years. The soil structure here is a mixture of clay and limestone. The vineyard is planted with 24 hectares of Tempranillo, Grenache, Mazuelo and Graciano grape varieties. The Vina Gravonia vineyard is located 200 meters from the winery and was purchased by the founder of the winery. It is 340 meters above sea level and the average age of the vines in the park is 45 years. The poor and rocky slope soil allows the roots of the vines to be more easily planted deep in the soil, giving the 24 hectares of grapes a more balanced biological organization and a more mature aroma. The winery picks the grapes every October. Since its establishment, Lopez Redia Winery has been committed to producing high-quality wines that can fully demonstrate the characteristics of the terroir and grape varieties of the producing area. The winery has released wines such as Vina Tondonia Reserva Red, Vina Cubillo Crianza, Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva and Vina Gravonia Crianza Blanco are popular among consumers.