Sherry-like oxidized nose, it reveals much more in the mouth and beyond. Beautiful crystallized strawberry. Extremely hard to describe. Very very good.
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Classic LdH Rosado. This bottle was a touch reserved on the nose, notes of dry sherry and orange peel; light to medium bodied, a complex midpalate of orange peel, unripe strawberry and a twist of gin and quinine. Gentle but persistent acid spine throughout.
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I'm kicking myself for having bought only one bottle. Its easily the best Tondonia I've tasted. Its ripe and racy in equal measure. This vintage developed in a warm year and it shows. Little of the austere elegance usually associated with this wine. Delicious.
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@ Tango Sur Doesn’t disappoint at the cork pull. Mature orange rind aromas. Wild and savory. Wider nose, but more focus on the palate. An interesting plastic/graham cracker aroma.
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At first quite reserved on the nose but it started to blossom with lots of air. Orange and floral notes, nuts, dried flowers, and orange zest on the nose. Good acidity with more orange zest, grapefruit, red apple, minerals, strawberry, and a hint of lemon on the palate. Nice finish. Very good wine, maybe a little overpowered by the fantastic 09 Blanco Reserva next to it.
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Fascinating wine and definitely one to try. Pushing it, value wise, but if you are a fan of LdH whites you have to try this at least once. Needs food. Oxidative notes, dried red fruits, long finish. Lovely
By the glass in noble rot in London. No formal notes. Nice rose color. Subtle nose, buttery and roses. Ample mouth, creamy, orange, a bit of Grand Marnier like and on the oxidative side. Very nice and interesting, not your average rose for sure 😎
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A blend of Garnacha (60%), Tempranillo (30%) and Viura (10%). Aged for 4 years in oak barriques and for further 6 years in bottles before release. 13% alcohol, 6,5 g/l acidity. Total production 14,000 bottles.
Luminous, seared salmon-to-peachy pink color. The nose feels juicy, quite ripe and moderately sweet-toned with complex, somewhat evolved aromas of apricots, some waxy tones, a little bit of creamy panna cotta character, light oxidative notes of caramel and bruised apple, a hint of stewed rose hips, a touch of fudge and a whiff of wild strawberries. The wine is dry, firm and complex on the palate with a medium body and intense, ripe flavors of strawberries, some wizened red plums, a little bit of stony minerality, light crunchy notes of cranberries and lemony citrus fruits, a hint of saline minerality and a touch of creamy oak. The wine is impressively high in acidity with a subtle, barely noticeable touch of tannic grip. The finish is very long, juicy and lively with complex, somewhat evolved flavors of sweet-toned citrus fruits, some fresh red apple tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light waxy tones, oaky hints of savory wood spice and creamy panna cotta and a touch of tangy salinity.
A beautifully vibrant, complex and harmonious vintage of Tondonia Rosado. Along with the 2010 vintage, this shows a bit more fruit, ripeness and weight than the 2008 vintage, but also maybe a tiny bit more than the 2010. Tasting this side-by-side with the 2010 vintage, the wines were almost identical in style; I'd say 2010 shows a bit more freshness, structure and precision, while this 2009 shows slightly more fruit, weight and ripeness. I guess it comes down to preference which one you'll find better, but for me, 2010 wins by a hair's breadth. Nevertheless, both of these wines are fantastic and easily among some of the best rosé wines in the world. With some aeration, this wine drinks beautifully now, but there's still a good deal of aging potential left here - most likely this wine will continue to improve for another 10-15 years or so. At just 27,50€, this has been a screaming bargain.
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Deep rosehip; straightforward, direct, simplistic, next day more typicité with parchment notes; dry, mid-weight, refreshing, retains low-key fruit; finishes tamely. Not up to previous vintages.
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This was more interesting than delicious to me. I've never had any other wine come close to this in style, but I'm not sure that it's for me. So oxidative and almost sherry-like on the nose, and also somehow oxidised and stewed on the palate with a curious finish of fresh wild strawberries. I won't be seeking out more as they're getting too expensive, but it was fun to try.
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Playing Hooky 2.0 Lunch (The Kenwood, Mpls, MN): Medium plus copper orange color. Drank a glass plus over an hour. Unmistakably Lopez on first sip, this is exactly what you'd expect from a Lopez rose. This is a complex rose and certainly not your mother's quaffing style. Well suited for food, this can pair well with a variety of dishes. Today we drank this with a brilliant Sweet Corn Soup with Calabrian Chili Oil and Chive Oil infusions. The combination was near magical. All that said, not everyone is going to be gaga over this wine. The oxidative character is evident immediately on the nose followed by whiffs of petrol, then the dried red fruits of strawberry and cherry with the requisite lacquer. The palate is medium bodied and follows the path of the nose largely, adding in citrus notes, lemon zest, plum and more tartness to the red fruit. As this opens in the glass there's a certain resonance that becomes more evident. Thoughtful, provocative, and a very, very fun to drink. 92+ to 93pts.
(Mostly) Spanish dinner (Chicago, IL): This drinks better than the other vintages that I've tasted; it has a nice roundness and more fruit than the other ones, making this more friendly and easier to enjoy. Slightly waxy and oxidative, and perhaps a bit more weighty than I would want for a simple rose -- this should be treated more like a straight-up dinner table wine.
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Bright copper coloured in the glass (Zalto universal) Nose of deep orange peel and spices, some sea air iodine and brine, Very rich and tangy on the palate - almost a manzanilla esque quality to this but still very fresh too. Long tingly finish
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Late night CNY drinks at Maison Dakota. Drank in Gabriel Standart. Appearance is clear, medium intensity, tawny amber gold colour. Legs. Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of oxidative sherry, red cherry, dried red fruit, dried plum. Developed. On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol (13%), medium+ tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sherry cream, red cherries, dried red plums. Serious long finish. Very good quality serious Rose. Oxidative style and will only get more if ageing further.
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Medium salmon in colour. Dry sherry, red berry and a touch of coconut and curry powder aromas. Elegant acid spine throughout, medium-bodied with light berries, a touch of dry sherry. Just has this elegance and softness that is very alluring.
Unsure how much longer to age this, seems a point at the moment and I'd guess the fruit will continue to recede with the acidity to become more prominent with time. Maybe try a bottle every 1-2 years? Next bottle 2023.
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Woa... totally different than the last btl i tried. Solid acidity, bright fruit.. maybe the last btl was from a bad batch? this was very much tasty stuff..
Surprisingly still fruit forwatd - showing cherry notes. A subtle hint of oxidation after about 45 minutes of air and warming to room temp Could age for another 5 years.
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Lazy Sunday Lunch (La Trompette): Kind of unfair to taste it besides its 16 year older sibling. My first tasting of the rose and everything was there - the sherried nose, that long finish - but a little muted perhaps. Clearly a superb wine, and I will be delighted to taste it again - but maybe in 5 or 10 years.
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4 Rosé Unicorns & 6 Mature Bordeauxs: Taste-off between 4 of the most highly rated Rosés on CT. Clear win for the Blankiet Prince of Hearts 2018 (rated 96 pts). It took only seconds of everybody at the table to realize that this is the best Rosé in the lineup, and for all of us the best Rosé ever. So much substance, a luxurious structure, seductive, hedonistically and intellectually appealing. The Chateau d’Esclans Garrus 2019 (rated 93 pts) is made in the same style but just has much less of everything. The Lopez de Heredia Rosado Gran Reserva 2009 (rated 92) was more interesting than really good but that’s a question of style preference (if you like their oxidative whites, you will like this wine). Unfortunately, the Valentini Cerasuolo 2016 was corked. I probably drink one Rosé a year and that will likely not change after tasting these wines but that is a function of the Blankiet being impossible to source.
TN: Quite intense on the nose with lots of minty notes, minerality, oxidative notes and a bit of smoke. Not overly complex but quite interesting and with fairly good precision. A bit more layered on the palate with intense minty notes, red berries, herbs and oxidative notes which over time recede more and more. Good weight and aromatic pressure but not as well defined as the Blankiet. Not as clean and sharp as I would have wished for but still a good wine but more intellectually appealing than hedonistically.
Decanting: Decanted for roughly 1 hour and it needed it to get rid of the overly strong oxidative notes and reveal more nuances. My guess is that ideally, this is decanted for at least 2 to 3 hours before consumption.
Glass: Conterno Sensory
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Part of a small Best Rosés of the World line-up. The Tondonia was pretty Sherry-like in style with light, red type of berry fruit, but also fig and plum, steely mineral notes and in the distance rose pedal floral aromas. Amazing texture, pure silk with perfectly integrated acidity. This is definitely not a crowd pleaser, but an excellent Rosé that would easily stare down many a lighter red wine.
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Dom Pérignon / Vosne-Romanée Tasting-cum-Lunch (Restaurant Slagerij De Beurs, Amsterdam, NL): A blend of 60% Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo and 10% Viura. Aged for 4 years in American oak and for further 6 years in bottle, 13% ABV, 14,000 bottles produced. Opened six before tasting the wine. Fresh and bright, spicy oak, strawberries and candied orange, hints of vanilla and caramel, marvellous acidity (TA 6.5 gr/l).
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What a bottle... opened this thinking it was a 2010... when I tried it I was like...humm this is better than the other ones I have had... looked at the bottle and it was a 2009 and not a 2010 ! much more fruit driven, more complexity, more length better than the 2010s I have tried...
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Dinner at Jaleo (Chicago, IL): Probably my favourite of the 2008-2009-2010 releases (or maybe it just pairs really well with the food), this has a significant fruitiness that I really like. It drinks very easily, like one of those mindless roses, thanks to that hint of sweetness from the fruit, but the complexity is obviously there if you choose to look for it. It's a bit of a shame that this is so culty (and I'll admit that it's sometimes a little tricky to find something to eat when this is opened), but when you do it right, this wine is magical.
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Medium /- blood orange color. Fresh waxy Graham’s cracker. Some potpourri. Nice and fresh at PnP. Sometime these are a little obtuse out the gate. Not the case here. Really ready for biz and one of the best starts to this race that I’ve had. W/ stuffed peppers. Red peppers and poblano. Feta, cheddar, sunflower seed, onion, collard greens, garlic, ground cherry, cherry tomato, cilantro. Savory mountain strawberry palate. All time pairing great pairing of my life. W/ fresh ground cherry salsa. Radish, cilantro, salt, cherry tomato. No lie, this food takes this wine to outer space. Day 3 and still holding up just fine, but now comes off more of delicate experience. Day 4 and showing maturity, along with more fruit, graham cracker, swampy. With air, clarifies. Lots of time ahead. Even on the fourth day, the Ground Cherry salsa pairing is SIMPLY amazing.
Onion skin colour, although seems a little darker than the 2008 and more oxidative on the nose, it needed a good 1.5-2 hours in a decanter to open up, there’s so much going on here, strawberry, orange peel, grapefruit, sage and rosemary, it’s much more savoury than fruity, very tangy, saline and fresh with lovely balance, it improves over a good few hours in the decanter and will keep if you want
Medium pink color. Intense floral nose of beeswax and petroleum. Dry, bright acidity, tight tannins, palate follows through. Medium full body. Great balance. Medium long finish.
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This is so unique and special. It’s complex and long and worthy of the most esoteric grocery list of descriptors, but above that it’s flat-out delicious. The familial line of LdH is there, full of phenolic buzz, more savory than sweet (but there’s just enough fruit to keep it from veering into purely intellectual territory), fresh and supremely balanced. It’s the sea with a pasteleria nearby.
As for the price… I paid $63 at a local retailer, and I’d buy a few more bottles given the opportunity. Paying double or triple though? Forget about it.
Nose of some oxidative notes of saline followed by strawberry and candied orange peel, rosemary, there’s a light “new tennis ball” smell too. All very fresh
Palate is in a word delicious - whilst there are lovely fruits notes (bitter blood orange, pink grapefruit, maybe a little watermelon) these are restrained and balanced. The experience for me hinges more on a crunchy but a rich mouthfeel and a wonderful sourness at the end that makes it very moreish. As others have said the overall experience is more like a red wine than a rose
This is my first Tondonia rosé and it’s absolutely wonderful. I will be buying more!
First time having this since a '97 vintage in 2009. Really good. Oxidative and super saline like a sherry but with more tart white stone fruit. Onion skin is a great descriptor of the color!
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My own take is that this is singular and delicious, agreeing with comments that it is a fine red wine masquerading as a rosé. Love the onion skin and lacquer note, totally savory and with clean balanced acids and some strawberry but not a ton of fruit. Less nutty than the blanco gravonia, but it’s cut from the same cloth. Glad to have a couple more to blow some minds with.
Rose dinner at Chaoshan: Rather reticent on the palate but still had that Rioja / LdH character in spades. Very oxidative, nutty nose that would be familiar to anyone who have tried their whites. Notes of blood orange, raspberries and oak notes of vanilla and coconut. This had a massive structure that suggested that it was way too young still. I love LdH but secondary market pricing for this is nuts.
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A blend of Garnacha (60%), Tempranillo (30%) and Viura (10%). Aged for 4 years in oak barriques and for further 6 years in bottles before release. 13% alcohol, 6,5 g/l acidity. Total production 14,000 bottles. Decanted for 5-6 hours before tasting the wine. Tasted blind.
Moderately deep onion skin color with a reddish coppery core and brick-red highlights. Slightly restrained and subtly sweet nose with layered aromas of oxidative caramel character, some creamy oak tones, a little bit of ripe white fruits, light notes of clay, a surprisingly youthful hint of sweet strawberry gummi candies and a touch of vanilla. The wine is fresh and medium-bodied on the palate with fine-tuned and complex flavors of ripe white fruits and developed creaminess, some toffee, a little bit of bruised apple, light stony mineral tones, a hint of apple peel bitterness and a touch of sweet oak spice. A subtle nuance of something metallic peeks through every now and then. The overall feel is wonderfully harmonious and layered, and the rather high acidity lends good sense of freshness and structure to the wine. The wine is long, somewhat evolved and wonderfully acid-driven with layered flavors of wild strawberry, some Tawny Port-ish caramel tones, a little bit of tangy salinity, light evolved nuances of apple core, a hint of savory wood spice and a touch of crema catalana.
A beautiful, classic and wonderfully complex Rioja Clarete. However, even though the wine calls for some decanting, as it can come across as somewhat muted right after pop'n'pour, I'm not sure if this wine showed its best after 6 hours of breathing - it was still wonderfully complex and enormously rewarding, but it seemed somewhat distant and lacking slightly in vibrancy, compared to the bottles I've tasted after a short decant. So maybe 6 hours for this rosé is a bit too much. Nevertheless, the wine was pretty easy to recognize, as my guess was Tondonia Rosado Gran Reserva - although I guessed it was vintage 2010, instead of 2009. Outrageous value for the quality at 27,50€. Drinks well now, but will continue to improve for many, many more years in a cellar.
This needed quite a bit of air to show the complexity on the nose. Oranges, a hint of sherry, slightly oxidative notes, and flowers are the main components. On the palate, there is orange zest, citrus, and a bit more of the sherry flavors. Great acidity and long finish.
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I'm reading the CT notes and i'm confused. This was blinded. Color was salmon/orangeish, with strong oxidative nose. Some red berry fruit, but overall really lacks fruit/flavor. Medium low acid, with virtually no structure. Slight oak and bitterness on the finish. Not sure what I was drinking but this was not very good. Rather surprised when the bottle was revealed.
Slightly oxidative, nuts, red berries on the nose. Great acidity on the palate, very vibrant, again red berry fruit, slightly bitter. Nicely balanced, very long. 91-93
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The nose was very fresh and dominated by herbal notes, as I found fresh basil, lavender, floral aromas, and light red fruit. On the palate, the wine was a bit less expressive, but intense and concentrated, with light red fruit, fresh herbal notes, spices and plenty of minerality towards the long finish. The acidity level on the palate is high, further adding a sense of freshness. It's a fascinating wine, and based on how it showed on the palate, I think it has a bit to go before it reaches its prime.
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Paella night (Adam's, Logan Square, Chicago IL): Nose: Deep, aromatic, and quixotic aromas of roasted nuts, vanilla beans, strawberries, citrus notes, dill, rose petals, fresh picked herbs, and oak notes fill the glass beautifully. It is hard to put it down as this is one of the more unique aromatic experiences that a Rose can bring.
Taste: The feel is Medium bodied with racy, high acidity. Even with the age on it, the acidity still packs a punch while the feel is polished and balanced with roasted nuts, vanilla beans, strawberries, citrus notes, fresh picked herbs, and rose petals.
Overall: I am glad that I got this at retail for the regular price as opposed to the marked up secondary market price. Still, this is one of the more unique roses out there and this one is a real beauty. There is an immense amount of depth, style, and class that is greatly enjoyable.
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A blend of Garnacha (60%), Tempranillo (30%) and Viura (10%). Aged for 4 years in oak barriques and for further 6 years in bottles before release. 13% alcohol, 6,5 g/l acidity. Total production 14,000 bottles. Decanted for a few hours before tasting the wine.
Pale seared salmon with a somewhat evolved orange hue. Somewhat restrained, very complex and slightly toasty nose with nuanced aromas of sweet golden apples, some creamy notes of crema catalana, light caramel tones, a little bit of toffee, a hint of vanilla and a touch of wild strawberry-driven red fruit character. The wine is ripe, moderately full-bodied and very complex on the palate with dry flavors of bruised apples, some rose hips, a little bit of juicy raspberry and sweeter, wizened red fruit, light buttery tones, subtly oaky hints of butterscotch and vanilla and a touch of stony minerality. While the wine isn't particularly big, its complexity and sense of ripeness certainly make the wine feel quite substantial. However, the moderately high acidity keeps the balance very well in check, making the overall feel balanced and pretty structured. The finish is very long, complex and rather acid-driven with intense flavors of bruised apple, some creamy notes of panna cotta, light oaky notes of toffee and vanilla, a little bit of tangy salinity, a hint of browned butter and a touch of wild strawberry.
A beautiful, rich and enormously complex Rosado made in a very singular, subtly oxidative style. While the wine might exhibit some subtly oaky tones, the wine isn't particularly oaky. Instead, it shows a unique combination or ripe, juicy fruit and savory, developed characteristics that result in a wine that is relatively ripe and fruity, yet not so much after all. There are lots of things going on here and even though the wine is drinking mighty well right now, I don't doubt for a moment it couldn't continue to improve for another 10 years or more. An outstanding rosé. Extraordinary value at 27,50€. Highly recommended.
Dark cherry fruit aromas. More than anticipated for sure. Follows to the palate, but with some maturing fruit alongside some soft earthy elements. Light extract in a mineral/stone/chalk kinda way. Medium acid, but the extract helps keep it fresh.
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Agree with Biskuit. And thanks for sharing. Singualr wine. So much more than rose. Like an LdH white with some oxidation, but then there is this very complex mid-palate that is sweet and spicy and so enticing. A wine that is interesting and complex and immediately glou glou.
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I am a big LdH fan but had never tried the rosado. I was curious, so I bought a few bottles at the premium price. Absolutely loved it—nutty, waxy, and fruity. Like someone put raspberries and strawberries into my LdH Blanco. I will enjoy the bottles that I have, but unless I can find it at closer to the winery price, I’ll stick to the Blanco for a similarly pleasurable drinking experience.
10 weeks after the prior: waxy, layered, complex. Absolutely distinctive and lovely again, meted out as an aperitif over four nights — holding up beautifully, and indeed gaining even at the end.
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Again, nothing to do put kick your feet up and simply enjoy the ride that is a RLH Rosado. Brilliant orange / copper / yellow color (pending the light) with the unusual presentation of smoky peat and raspberries. A very slight oxidatative trait works a very grippy edge in your mouth. Again, a rose like no other.
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This is indeed the world’s best still rose. It’s uncommonly complex, grippy, and deep. Highly satisfying with food and without. As for value, this is a great buy for ~$40 but questionable for secondary market pricing.
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Opened and decanted an hour prior. Served with Prawn Rosé pasta. A Rosé like no other. Complex, multi-layered flavours and worked beautifully with the dish. A treat.
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Pale pink. Intoxicating aromatic, very complex Rosés, red cherry fruits, lifted with touch of herbs and sweet tone. Nice acidity and flavours on the entry, complex, very good length and depth, with proper structured but light on its foot. Lingering with inner perfume, dry clean finish. superb! With raspberry sorbet the flavours levelling up with more acidity and fruits. Rosé just can't get better than this. Kinda ming blowing.
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Wow. Just as good the 08. Beautifully waxy. Complex / layered. This most incredible and distinctive rosé / rosado was stunning on opening, and got only better from the second through the fourth night — to the very last exquisite drop. Wow.
Went perfectly with BBQ pork ( Souvlaki 2.0) on a very hot afternoon in London. If it wasn’t for the Covid-19 related quarantine it would have been the perfect afternoon. The wine lends it self for such an occasion, richer and more flavourful than the usual rose and can handle hot days. A touch confectionery and of course by design oxidative but also fruit, firm and not flubby at all. Serious result here and albeit different than the more austere Provence rose wines we usually prefer full of character too. And at 11yrs old very unique. 90-91
Probably one of the few rose wines that can challenge the Papies rules of rose being at its element : 1. Om a very hot day ( preferably by the beach) 2. Must be from magnum+ 3. One must overpay . ( optional 4. Must be served by people wearing white trousers or bikinis)
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In the LdH style of course, so by default this is in a class of its own when compared to other roses. Strong acid in the wine, nice red fruit that opens up after the initial oak. We drank this quite fast so didn’t get to observe it open up that much. Will save the second bottle for a more contemplative occasion.
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Complex and thought provoking rosé - In my opinion should be drunk and treated more like a red wine, around cellar temp 55F to 60F. Don’t be afraid to decant for 30 - 60 mins as the aromatics take some coaxing.
Beautiful Rosé color falling somewhere between coral and medium rare Faroe Island Salmon, with an orange Aperol tint. Orange rind, nut skin and aromatic bitters tickle the nose. A creamy saline palate leads to a tangy acidity accompanied by a savory umami. Cranberry bitterness and pickled strawberry?!
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Very different from any other rose wines. More in style with the rest of the Tondonia wines, since it is made in the same way, with long barrel aging. Aromas of nuts, honey and vanilla. Firm and structured. Still fresh. Will last for years.
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very similar in style to the tondonia whites, but with more fruit, the grenache really shines through and is perfectly balanced with acidity and some oxidized flavors. really delicious and pairs extremely well with a wide range of foods
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While this may be a couple of steps behind the 2008, this is another spectacular effort from LdH. Gorgeous translucent crimson hue with tons of depth and complexity to go along with a monster finish.
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Strawberries, orange peel, raspberries, cinnamon, medium acidity, medium- tannins. Moreover, sherry comes into mind. Very different rose but I really enjoyed this style.
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Beautiful coral shade in the glass. Nose of cinnamides, aniseed, fruit and some alcoholic power. Palate is striking in its dyness at first, becoming a little mellower and rounder over a few hours, with a range of flavours including strawberry, pickle, and a slightly challenging bitter note like that of a quite green Claret, but without any appreciable tannin. Incredibly refreshing and certainly like no other rose I have tasted. A lovely wine and I'm delighted to have finally tasted this following a year or two of reading so much about it. I'll keep all other cases to see how it develops but I can imagine, being a LdH creation, that this will stand the test of time, probably benefiting from tectonic patience.
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A blend of Garnacha (60%), Tempranillo (30%) and Viura (10%). Aged for 4 years in oak barriques and for further 6 years in bottles before release. 13% alcohol, 6,5 g/l acidity. Total production 14,000 bottles.
Luminous and quite deep onion-skin color with a reddish coppery core. Rich, sweet-toned and somewhat developed nose with layered aromas of those waxy tones typical of Tondonia Blanco, some wild strawberry, a little bit of oxidative toffee character and nuances of vanilla, both pointing out to the prolonged oak aging, light panna cotta tones of cooked cream, a hint of cooked rose hips and a touch of smoke. The nose feels very attractive, but rather closed at first, slowly opening in the glass. The wine is dry and medium-bodied yet quite substantial on the palate with rather ripe flavors of juicy citrus fruits, some fresh red apples, a little bit of savory umami character, light oaky notes of creaminess and caramel, a hint of tangy salinity and a tart touch of red forest fruits. Quite high acidity. The finish is fresh, persistent and complex with layered flavors of fresh red apples, some oxidative notes of caramel and baked apple, a little bit of creamy oak, light juicy notes of ripe citrus fruits, a hint of tangy salinity and a touch of savory umami.
A very complex and immensely attractive rosé that certainly shows that it has been aged for a prolonged time in oak, yet it really doesn't come across as particularly oaky. Sure, there are nuances of caramel, cream and even hints of vanilla, but these characteristics seem to be more about oxidative complexity than true oak flavors. Overall the wine feels much more accessible and open for business than the 2008 vintage at this age, but nevertheless the wine - especially its nose - seemed rather understated at first, opening up quite slowly in the glass. Obviously a wine that benefits from both decanting and long aging in a cellar. This idiosyncratic rosé is very rewarding already now, but will perform much better if given enough age. Extraordinary value at 27,50€. Highly recommended.
Still very young and quite closed, good structure and promising, nice fresh fruit is there but still developing and requires several years of cellaring to show its best.
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Pale salmon. Cherry and floral notes on the nose. Touch of varnish as well. As always with these guys this ain’t your grandmothers rose. The palate is bright and fresh but a bit simple in the red fruit spectrum. Is it good? For sure. Is it worth €60? Probably not.
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Tasted this alongside the 2008 version and, while I really liked it, I did prefer the 2008 overall. The 2009 is more high-toned with some noticeable VA (to my senses at least) and didn't seem as powerful as the 2008. It's lighter and brighter, so really a matter of taste. These have now entered the realm of silly prices (no fault of the family's, just the market's greed I guess) but if you can taste one, it's worth your while. Lopez's rosés are just really unique. (I got this one for $90 and the 2008 for $80, fyi.)
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Yes, beautiful orange colour and ready to impress on Instagram...However, this is also a seriously good one. Salty and roasted almonds at the outset, followed by orange peel and floral flavours. Acidity is well balanced and this wine drinks now after 10 years very well
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Eminently by drinkable now, as opposed to a lot of other vintages which need more time. Complex notes of sherry, orange citrus, honey, apricot, basil, leather and a bit of oak. Really great and should age well, if perhaps not as long as the ‘08 or ‘00.
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I agree that it is not so easy to describe the colour. A colour that I've never seen at onions, but perhaps one can say old rosé with an amber tint. However, this is very good indeed, but compared to the whites and reds it is less convincing. Even their standard and basic red Cubillo is a better, more complex, fruitier wine. But as a rosé this is unique. Oh yes, as unique as their white and reds are as well. But there is much less rosado in the market. So these hypes are generated by low availability. Dominated by the nutty and spicy scents and flavors with a bit of peachy and vanilla elements. For me it is best at relative warm temperatures for a rosé up to 17°C but not at textbook cellar temperatures of 12°C or lower. This is going to hold through for some more years, but is best now. As always with Heredia an experience. And maybe every wine aficionado should have drunk one bottle. So with less than 12000 bottles produced per year they should have enough customers for the next hundred and more years. So I'm going to buy the red and whites only for the rest of my life. 5/12/16/7
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Fits no category. Clairet may be the closest thing. The color is like nothing you’ve seen before - glowing spiced orange or hot cinnamon candies. Maria Lopez de Heredia calls it onion skin. There is, of course, oxidation and it’s so well interwoven that it feels natural, part of the wine's process.
Salted caramel granny smith apple and apricots and sweet peaches and briny sherry vinegar. And unimaginably light on its feet and chatty, just like Maria.
Drink at cellar temp and over a few days. And yes, lives up to the hype.
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Wow. This is a crazy wine, and wildly different than any rose that I’ve ever had before (in a good way). In fact, if I tasted this blind and blindfolded so that I couldn’t see the color, I don’t know what I’d be guessing, but probably not rose. Speaking of color, this has to be one of the prettiest looking wines I’ve ever seen. Kinda like a bright/fluorescent orangish, reddish, salmon with a tinge of peach. Picture melting together an Orange, Red, yellow, and peach Jolly Rancher. On the nose, this is nice, but not overly expressive, and certainly not the strongest feature of the wine. More earthy type notes with some slight strawberry, and a tiny hint of oxidation. In the mouth, unlike their blancs (and the nose), there is really no oxidation at all. It’s incredibly fresh (especially given it’s a 10 year old rose) and literally bursting with flavors. Really hard to pin down as there’s a LOT going on, but I’m getting strawberries, freshly picked raspberries, earth, damp leaves and leather, which are all blending together seamlessly with a generous amount of acidity creating a unique and incredibly satisfying mix of bright fruit and savory notes, which all end with a very long and mineral driven finish that lasts upwards of 45 seconds. Refreshing and contemplative at the same time. A very serious wine, and a monumental effort. The hype is real.
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Orange with a copper tint. Hard to describe the colour of this hyped rosado. I'm a real fan of the reds and whites here, since they have great personality, quality and good price/quality ratio. These are unique wines and so I expected not less opening this rosado. Well, this is not an obvious off bottle and it shows no sign of poor storage, but it is a bit disappointing. First it is a rather indifferent showing with scents of low intensity and even the palate is very very light and to put it mildly showing not much intensity of flavors. At this stage a wine that deserved a score in the lower 80s. With a bit of time in the bottle it thankfully gained a bit. In hope of a positive evolution I even decanted a part of the bottle, me, I decanted a rosé! Well, even this procedure wasn't as successful as I hoped, no, not hoped really, but I wanted to get every chance to do the right thing. Nevertheless after that, or maybe simply after time with air-contact it gets more complex with fruity notes and for a short moment minty scents over the oxidative nutty smoky notes. Well, in the end, this is a rosado that is really elegant and complex and really nice to drink on its own on hot summer evening. But, if this bottle is any indications, it is to light, lacking intensity to be paired with food. And this bottle wasn't a bottle of 90+ points. If this is a 93+ points bottle, the l'écume from Negly is a upper 90s points wine (Still my favorite rosé, not because of the low price, but because of its quality). And of course it is not. Maybe there are high bottle variations, something I never noticed on the other releases of this great producer or it simply needs more time in the bottle, something I can't believe, but something that I'm going to check out. But in contrast to the other offerings from this producer, i'm quite sure that this will not get a bargain at 25 to 50€ in germany, if you get a bottle. If you keep in mind that the reserva tondonia red or the gravonia white crianza are cheaper and better... Maybe you mix them up? 5/11/16/7 -2028.
Orange blossom, oranges, herbs, and strawberries on the interesting nose. Medium acidity, orange zest, lemon, and more herbs on the palate. Long finish. Consistent with previous notes. Awesome rose!
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At home with tacos. Medium copper color, not much different than I recall the 2017 Alfredo Maestro Lovamor. Initial aromas are quite engaging. Modest alpine strawberry aromas, palate shows lots of freshness, more than I recall the 2008 showing out the gate. Medium minus acid too. Has a little graham cracker on the finish, but just a touch and it’s gone, unless you ruminate on it. Medium body with nice viscosity. The next afternoon, a quick taste showed this much more savory. Not unlike that 81 GR Blanco and it’s saline, brine-iness. A bit of swampiness really. With time, opens back into the day 1 expression. Charming, the bigger body, on top of the big acid, makes for an overall soft balanced, with sneaky acid.
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This will be a long introduction before I get to the actual tasting, so if you're looking for a hit and run note you might want to start somewhere else.
I know next to nothing about Lopez de Heredia, other than their reputation for late release long-lived wines. In this particular case, we're talking about a rose released 10 years after the vintage. That's patience and a philosophy in action if I ever saw them. This particular bottle was given to me by my brother with explicit instructions to enter a formal review in cellartracker. He told me it's one of those wines that suddenly caught fire in the past few years. Being a prudent purchaser, he found a few probably mismarked bottles in Manhattan for $39. How I long for the day when all bottles were hand-labeled with a price gun instead of scanned at the register! I saw it in a prominent Westchester wine store's email yesterday for $179. It's not a dissimilar story I guess from Chave, Gonon, Clos Rougeard, and other sommelier darlings that suddenly explode in price over a couple of years' window. My brother also said it's not without detractors, which certainly adds to the intrigue.
I normally just open, drink and write, but this seemed to merit more respect. Jeez, what other rose costs this much anywhere? Valentini? So, according to the producer's website, it's a blend in order of garnacha, tempranillo and viura that spends about 4 years in American oak (from the Appalachian Mountains), and obviously another few in bottle before release.
The color is a reddish onion-skin. The oak is the first thing I smell, somewhere between creme caramel and creme brulee. Not an expected rose impression! There's orange zest, cranberry fruit, and light almond nuttiness accompanied by oxidative notes. The nose is not necessarily inviting, but it's not hostile either-just different from expectations. In the mouth, it's deceptive-layered and nuanced. I taste the oak flavors and subdued orange fruit in a delicate yet at the same time intense impression, which perhaps mirrors fine nebbiolo without tasting anything like it. It's medium bodied with creamy impressions and sherry-like overtones. The wood in the mouth persists throughout, and there's no question it's the woodiest rose I've ever encountered. 13% ABV.
What's the verdict? A very interesting wine and I'm glad I had a chance to try it. I'd be hard pressed to pay $179 for it under any circumstances-that's even more than Valentini's Cerasuolo. To me, assuming I wasn't supposed to wait another 10 years (who knows?), this is interesting and intentionally made but it's a bit hard to swallow the tariff. My brother? He got a steal.
First taste of this inexpensive, yet rare rosé. Initially, it had a strong candy apple/cherry popsicle note that was weird. After about 30 minutes of air it completely changed, and expanded into a juicy, slick acid cinnamon stick. Agree with my co taster that there is a mildly oxidized note. Good wine, somewhat unusual. I’m told some pay three figures for this on the secondary market. Get real, people.
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First time having this wine and first time decanting a rosé! Beautiful deep salmon color and an expressive nose of dehydrated cherries, red potpourri, and dill.
Palate of cherry, strawberry, orange peel, herbs/garrigue, and marcona almonds. Med+/Long finish. Unlike any rosé we’ve ever had and definitely worth seeking out.
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Had to open one after somehow getting a case to see what the fuzz is about. Cherries, peach, salt, and a bunch of oxidative flavors that remind me a bit of sherry on the nose. Great acidity with tart red berries, lemon, and orange zest on the palate. Good finish. This is very unique, interesting, and weird. I loved it! Paid $35, it’s probably worth quite a bit more, but not what this goes for right now at auction...
While quite good, this was disappointing. There is a harshness like over-brewed tea in the middle which disrupted the harmony of the fruit and textures I expect on this wine. My least favorite TR, tbh. There were nice tart cherry fruit and an aromatic herbal overlay. A bit of the classic nuttiness on the finish. This was still quite good and a special thing amongst rosé, but still left me a bit sad.
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Lovely. A bit tight and sour when first taken out of fridge, but with some air and a degree or two warmer, it really blossoms--dark cherries, tart, wild herbs, broadens nicely with a lovely smooth texture. Think this will probably be best in another year or so. Less impressive than the 2008 version.
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I can’t think of the last time I have had so much anticipation of a rose, and with good reason as this truly was a singular experience. Lots of notes on CT describe ‘paint thinner or ‘petrol’ which is indeed accurate, but by no means off putting, nor was it as oxidative as I had thought it would have been. Instead, this was exceed lying fresh, spry even, with a textural richness from the use of oak. My normal tool box of TN words simply break down here, as I can’t really describe this other than it had my 100% full attention and that I loved it. Don’t hesitate if you can find this for the proper release price $35-$50 though a head scratcher as to secondary market prices in terms of paying $250 for a rose, but simple supply and demand I get it. Outstanding.
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Very different from any other rose wines. More in style with the rest of the Tondonia wines. Of course, since it is made in the same way, with long barrel aging. Aromas of nuts, honey and vanilla. Firm and structured. Still fresh. Will last for years.
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After somehow, luckily, accumulating nine bottles of the Tondonia Rosado, we finally dared open one. Nose is sarsaparilla, floral notes, herbs, paint thinner. The palate is defying us; tons of minerality here. Very much in keeping with the Lopez style, but entirely different than the whites. The finish reminds me of vanilla salt water taffy. These notes are after pop-and-pour, and look forward to tasting how it evolves as it opens. Regardless, we love R. Lopez, and we obviously hoard it — very much unapologetically.
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4/28/2024 - 831900_ Likes this wine: 95 Points
Sherry-like oxidized nose, it reveals much more in the mouth and beyond. Beautiful crystallized strawberry. Extremely hard to describe. Very very good.
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4/1/2024 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
44 months prior: Once again, and as usual, fabulous — and working well range of salty foods.
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2/17/2024 - lightning wrote: 92 Points
Classic LdH Rosado. This bottle was a touch reserved on the nose, notes of dry sherry and orange peel; light to medium bodied, a complex midpalate of orange peel, unripe strawberry and a twist of gin and quinine. Gentle but persistent acid spine throughout.
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12/31/2023 - Lion's Share Likes this wine: 93 Points
I'm kicking myself for having bought only one bottle. Its easily the best Tondonia I've tasted. Its ripe and racy in equal measure. This vintage developed in a warm year and it shows. Little of the austere elegance usually associated with this wine. Delicious.
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11/24/2023 - nzinkgraf wrote:
@ Tango Sur
Doesn’t disappoint at the cork pull. Mature orange rind aromas. Wild and savory. Wider nose, but more focus on the palate. An interesting plastic/graham cracker aroma.
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10/13/2023 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 93 Points
At first quite reserved on the nose but it started to blossom with lots of air. Orange and floral notes, nuts, dried flowers, and orange zest on the nose. Good acidity with more orange zest, grapefruit, red apple, minerals, strawberry, and a hint of lemon on the palate. Nice finish. Very good wine, maybe a little overpowered by the fantastic 09 Blanco Reserva next to it.
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8/31/2023 - Xavi1986 Likes this wine:
A copas en Monvinic. Fabuloso. Mas frutal que amteriores.
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7/27/2023 - Gannet2013 Likes this wine:
Fascinating wine and definitely one to try. Pushing it, value wise, but if you are a fan of LdH whites you have to try this at least once. Needs food. Oxidative notes, dried red fruits, long finish. Lovely
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7/22/2023 - Vas19 wrote: 91 Points
Very buttery nose, unique and enjoyable. Palate is well balanced with nice floral notes. Wish it had a touch more energy.
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7/8/2023 - bram_epicurien Likes this wine: 90 Points
By the glass in noble rot in London. No formal notes. Nice rose color. Subtle nose, buttery and roses. Ample mouth, creamy, orange, a bit of Grand Marnier like and on the oxidative side. Very nice and interesting, not your average rose for sure 😎
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11/24/2022 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points
A blend of Garnacha (60%), Tempranillo (30%) and Viura (10%). Aged for 4 years in oak barriques and for further 6 years in bottles before release. 13% alcohol, 6,5 g/l acidity. Total production 14,000 bottles.
Luminous, seared salmon-to-peachy pink color. The nose feels juicy, quite ripe and moderately sweet-toned with complex, somewhat evolved aromas of apricots, some waxy tones, a little bit of creamy panna cotta character, light oxidative notes of caramel and bruised apple, a hint of stewed rose hips, a touch of fudge and a whiff of wild strawberries. The wine is dry, firm and complex on the palate with a medium body and intense, ripe flavors of strawberries, some wizened red plums, a little bit of stony minerality, light crunchy notes of cranberries and lemony citrus fruits, a hint of saline minerality and a touch of creamy oak. The wine is impressively high in acidity with a subtle, barely noticeable touch of tannic grip. The finish is very long, juicy and lively with complex, somewhat evolved flavors of sweet-toned citrus fruits, some fresh red apple tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light waxy tones, oaky hints of savory wood spice and creamy panna cotta and a touch of tangy salinity.
A beautifully vibrant, complex and harmonious vintage of Tondonia Rosado. Along with the 2010 vintage, this shows a bit more fruit, ripeness and weight than the 2008 vintage, but also maybe a tiny bit more than the 2010. Tasting this side-by-side with the 2010 vintage, the wines were almost identical in style; I'd say 2010 shows a bit more freshness, structure and precision, while this 2009 shows slightly more fruit, weight and ripeness. I guess it comes down to preference which one you'll find better, but for me, 2010 wins by a hair's breadth. Nevertheless, both of these wines are fantastic and easily among some of the best rosé wines in the world. With some aeration, this wine drinks beautifully now, but there's still a good deal of aging potential left here - most likely this wine will continue to improve for another 10-15 years or so. At just 27,50€, this has been a screaming bargain.
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10/29/2022 - chbeaumont wrote: 89 Points
Deep rosehip; straightforward, direct, simplistic, next day more typicité with parchment notes; dry, mid-weight, refreshing, retains low-key fruit; finishes tamely. Not up to previous vintages.
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10/16/2022 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
Utregs Wijnhuis Lopez de Heredia Tasting (Restaurant Maeve, Utrecht. NL): Much riper style than 2010, candied fruit, nutty and honeyed, seems very developed, spicy, not as bright as the 2010, perhaps this bottle is a bit tired?
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10/1/2022 - Rallerboy888 Likes this wine: 89 Points
This was more interesting than delicious to me. I've never had any other wine come close to this in style, but I'm not sure that it's for me. So oxidative and almost sherry-like on the nose, and also somehow oxidised and stewed on the palate with a curious finish of fresh wild strawberries. I won't be seeking out more as they're getting too expensive, but it was fun to try.
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9/16/2022 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Playing Hooky 2.0 Lunch (The Kenwood, Mpls, MN): Medium plus copper orange color. Drank a glass plus over an hour. Unmistakably Lopez on first sip, this is exactly what you'd expect from a Lopez rose. This is a complex rose and certainly not your mother's quaffing style. Well suited for food, this can pair well with a variety of dishes. Today we drank this with a brilliant Sweet Corn Soup with Calabrian Chili Oil and Chive Oil infusions. The combination was near magical. All that said, not everyone is going to be gaga over this wine. The oxidative character is evident immediately on the nose followed by whiffs of petrol, then the dried red fruits of strawberry and cherry with the requisite lacquer. The palate is medium bodied and follows the path of the nose largely, adding in citrus notes, lemon zest, plum and more tartness to the red fruit. As this opens in the glass there's a certain resonance that becomes more evident. Thoughtful, provocative, and a very, very fun to drink. 92+ to 93pts.
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9/4/2022 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
(Mostly) Spanish dinner (Chicago, IL): This drinks better than the other vintages that I've tasted; it has a nice roundness and more fruit than the other ones, making this more friendly and easier to enjoy. Slightly waxy and oxidative, and perhaps a bit more weighty than I would want for a simple rose -- this should be treated more like a straight-up dinner table wine.
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8/14/2022 - Gunakadeit Likes this wine: 92 Points
Radders note is on point. Briney sherry notes especially pronounced.
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7/13/2022 - Radders12345 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bright copper coloured in the glass (Zalto universal)
Nose of deep orange peel and spices, some sea air iodine and brine,
Very rich and tangy on the palate - almost a manzanilla esque quality to this but still very fresh too. Long tingly finish
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2/1/2022 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 91 Points
Late night CNY drinks at Maison Dakota. Drank in Gabriel Standart.
Appearance is clear, medium intensity, tawny amber gold colour. Legs.
Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of oxidative sherry, red cherry, dried red fruit, dried plum. Developed.
On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol (13%), medium+ tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sherry cream, red cherries, dried red plums. Serious long finish.
Very good quality serious Rose. Oxidative style and will only get more if ageing further.
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2/1/2022 - asparagus wrote: 92 Points
not your typical rose. a very serious wine, one that demands attention. it just happens to be pink (and then again a very dark shade of pink).
red berries and oak. good weight in the mouth. probably was not the right setting to properly analyse and enjoy this. but probably too young.
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1/5/2022 - lightning wrote: 92 Points
Medium salmon in colour. Dry sherry, red berry and a touch of coconut and curry powder aromas. Elegant acid spine throughout, medium-bodied with light berries, a touch of dry sherry. Just has this elegance and softness that is very alluring.
Unsure how much longer to age this, seems a point at the moment and I'd guess the fruit will continue to recede with the acidity to become more prominent with time. Maybe try a bottle every 1-2 years? Next bottle 2023.
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1/4/2022 - mye wrote:
Woa... totally different than the last btl i tried. Solid acidity, bright fruit..
maybe the last btl was from a bad batch? this was very much tasty stuff..
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12/20/2021 - rbrock05 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Surprisingly still fruit forwatd - showing cherry notes. A subtle hint of oxidation after about 45 minutes of air and warming to room temp Could age for another 5 years.
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12/13/2021 - lozatron Likes this wine:
Lazy Sunday Lunch (La Trompette): Kind of unfair to taste it besides its 16 year older sibling. My first tasting of the rose and everything was there - the sherried nose, that long finish - but a little muted perhaps. Clearly a superb wine, and I will be delighted to taste it again - but maybe in 5 or 10 years.
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11/22/2021 - Cailles wrote: 92 Points
4 Rosé Unicorns & 6 Mature Bordeauxs: Taste-off between 4 of the most highly rated Rosés on CT. Clear win for the Blankiet Prince of Hearts 2018 (rated 96 pts). It took only seconds of everybody at the table to realize that this is the best Rosé in the lineup, and for all of us the best Rosé ever. So much substance, a luxurious structure, seductive, hedonistically and intellectually appealing. The Chateau d’Esclans Garrus 2019 (rated 93 pts) is made in the same style but just has much less of everything. The Lopez de Heredia Rosado Gran Reserva 2009 (rated 92) was more interesting than really good but that’s a question of style preference (if you like their oxidative whites, you will like this wine). Unfortunately, the Valentini Cerasuolo 2016 was corked. I probably drink one Rosé a year and that will likely not change after tasting these wines but that is a function of the Blankiet being impossible to source.
TN: Quite intense on the nose with lots of minty notes, minerality, oxidative notes and a bit of smoke. Not overly complex but quite interesting and with fairly good precision. A bit more layered on the palate with intense minty notes, red berries, herbs and oxidative notes which over time recede more and more. Good weight and aromatic pressure but not as well defined as the Blankiet. Not as clean and sharp as I would have wished for but still a good wine but more intellectually appealing than hedonistically.
Decanting: Decanted for roughly 1 hour and it needed it to get rid of the overly strong oxidative notes and reveal more nuances. My guess is that ideally, this is decanted for at least 2 to 3 hours before consumption.
Glass: Conterno Sensory
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10/30/2021 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
Part of a small Best Rosés of the World line-up. The Tondonia was pretty Sherry-like in style with light, red type of berry fruit, but also fig and plum, steely mineral notes and in the distance rose pedal floral aromas. Amazing texture, pure silk with perfectly integrated acidity. This is definitely not a crowd pleaser, but an excellent Rosé that would easily stare down many a lighter red wine.
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10/18/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
A private dinner (Restaurant Zoldering, Amsterdam, NL): Decanted. Identical to my previous note.
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10/10/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
Dom Pérignon / Vosne-Romanée Tasting-cum-Lunch (Restaurant Slagerij De Beurs, Amsterdam, NL): A blend of 60% Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo and 10% Viura. Aged for 4 years in American oak and for further 6 years in bottle, 13% ABV, 14,000 bottles produced. Opened six before tasting the wine. Fresh and bright, spicy oak, strawberries and candied orange, hints of vanilla and caramel, marvellous acidity (TA 6.5 gr/l).
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9/28/2021 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a bottle... opened this thinking it was a 2010... when I tried it I was like...humm this is better than the other ones I have had... looked at the bottle and it was a 2009 and not a 2010 ! much more fruit driven, more complexity, more length better than the 2010s I have tried...
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9/5/2021 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at Jaleo (Chicago, IL): Probably my favourite of the 2008-2009-2010 releases (or maybe it just pairs really well with the food), this has a significant fruitiness that I really like. It drinks very easily, like one of those mindless roses, thanks to that hint of sweetness from the fruit, but the complexity is obviously there if you choose to look for it. It's a bit of a shame that this is so culty (and I'll admit that it's sometimes a little tricky to find something to eat when this is opened), but when you do it right, this wine is magical.
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8/27/2021 - nzinkgraf wrote:
Medium /- blood orange color. Fresh waxy Graham’s cracker. Some potpourri. Nice and fresh at PnP. Sometime these are a little obtuse out the gate. Not the case here. Really ready for biz and one of the best starts to this race that I’ve had.
W/ stuffed peppers. Red peppers and poblano.
Feta, cheddar, sunflower seed, onion, collard greens, garlic, ground cherry, cherry tomato, cilantro.
Savory mountain strawberry palate.
All time pairing great pairing of my life. W/ fresh ground cherry salsa. Radish, cilantro, salt, cherry tomato. No lie, this food takes this wine to outer space.
Day 3 and still holding up just fine, but now comes off more of delicate experience.
Day 4 and showing maturity, along with more fruit, graham cracker, swampy. With air, clarifies. Lots of time ahead. Even on the fourth day, the Ground Cherry salsa pairing is SIMPLY amazing.
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6/29/2021 - kingkanu wrote:
Onion skin colour, although seems a little darker than the 2008 and more oxidative on the nose, it needed a good 1.5-2 hours in a decanter to open up, there’s so much going on here, strawberry, orange peel, grapefruit, sage and rosemary, it’s much more savoury than fruity, very tangy, saline and fresh with lovely balance, it improves over a good few hours in the decanter and will keep if you want
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6/20/2021 - Costes76 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Medium pink color. Intense floral nose of beeswax and petroleum. Dry, bright acidity, tight tannins, palate follows through. Medium full body. Great balance. Medium long finish.
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6/17/2021 - gotfunk Likes this wine:
This is so unique and special. It’s complex and long and worthy of the most esoteric grocery list of descriptors, but above that it’s flat-out delicious. The familial line of LdH is there, full of phenolic buzz, more savory than sweet (but there’s just enough fruit to keep it from veering into purely intellectual territory), fresh and supremely balanced. It’s the sea with a pasteleria nearby.
As for the price… I paid $63 at a local retailer, and I’d buy a few more bottles given the opportunity. Paying double or triple though? Forget about it.
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6/6/2021 - Radders12345 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Appearance of flat Irn bru!
Nose of some oxidative notes of saline followed by strawberry and candied orange peel, rosemary, there’s a light “new tennis ball” smell too. All very fresh
Palate is in a word delicious - whilst there are lovely fruits notes (bitter blood orange, pink grapefruit, maybe a little watermelon) these are restrained and balanced. The experience for me hinges more on a crunchy but a rich mouthfeel and a wonderful sourness at the end that makes it very moreish. As others have said the overall experience is more like a red wine than a rose
This is my first Tondonia rosé and it’s absolutely wonderful. I will be buying more!
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3/28/2021 - diggydan wrote: 93 Points
First time having this since a '97 vintage in 2009. Really good. Oxidative and super saline like a sherry but with more tart white stone fruit. Onion skin is a great descriptor of the color!
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3/21/2021 - jviz wrote: 93 Points
My own take is that this is singular and delicious, agreeing with comments that it is a fine red wine masquerading as a rosé. Love the onion skin and lacquer note, totally savory and with clean balanced acids and some strawberry but not a ton of fruit. Less nutty than the blanco gravonia, but it’s cut from the same cloth. Glad to have a couple more to blow some minds with.
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3/19/2021 - melvinyeowq Likes this wine:
Rose dinner at Chaoshan: Rather reticent on the palate but still had that Rioja / LdH character in spades. Very oxidative, nutty nose that would be familiar to anyone who have tried their whites. Notes of blood orange, raspberries and oak notes of vanilla and coconut. This had a massive structure that suggested that it was way too young still. I love LdH but secondary market pricing for this is nuts.
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2/13/2021 - forceberry wrote: 94 Points
A blend of Garnacha (60%), Tempranillo (30%) and Viura (10%). Aged for 4 years in oak barriques and for further 6 years in bottles before release. 13% alcohol, 6,5 g/l acidity. Total production 14,000 bottles. Decanted for 5-6 hours before tasting the wine. Tasted blind.
Moderately deep onion skin color with a reddish coppery core and brick-red highlights. Slightly restrained and subtly sweet nose with layered aromas of oxidative caramel character, some creamy oak tones, a little bit of ripe white fruits, light notes of clay, a surprisingly youthful hint of sweet strawberry gummi candies and a touch of vanilla. The wine is fresh and medium-bodied on the palate with fine-tuned and complex flavors of ripe white fruits and developed creaminess, some toffee, a little bit of bruised apple, light stony mineral tones, a hint of apple peel bitterness and a touch of sweet oak spice. A subtle nuance of something metallic peeks through every now and then. The overall feel is wonderfully harmonious and layered, and the rather high acidity lends good sense of freshness and structure to the wine. The wine is long, somewhat evolved and wonderfully acid-driven with layered flavors of wild strawberry, some Tawny Port-ish caramel tones, a little bit of tangy salinity, light evolved nuances of apple core, a hint of savory wood spice and a touch of crema catalana.
A beautiful, classic and wonderfully complex Rioja Clarete. However, even though the wine calls for some decanting, as it can come across as somewhat muted right after pop'n'pour, I'm not sure if this wine showed its best after 6 hours of breathing - it was still wonderfully complex and enormously rewarding, but it seemed somewhat distant and lacking slightly in vibrancy, compared to the bottles I've tasted after a short decant. So maybe 6 hours for this rosé is a bit too much. Nevertheless, the wine was pretty easy to recognize, as my guess was Tondonia Rosado Gran Reserva - although I guessed it was vintage 2010, instead of 2009. Outrageous value for the quality at 27,50€. Drinks well now, but will continue to improve for many, many more years in a cellar.
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12/17/2020 - jvphoto Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very cool - smells like sherry & tastes like Starbursts. The secondary market price is a little steep but interesting to try.
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11/9/2020 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 93 Points
This needed quite a bit of air to show the complexity on the nose. Oranges, a hint of sherry, slightly oxidative notes, and flowers are the main components. On the palate, there is orange zest, citrus, and a bit more of the sherry flavors. Great acidity and long finish.
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10/15/2020 - mye wrote:
I'm reading the CT notes and i'm confused. This was blinded. Color was salmon/orangeish, with strong oxidative nose. Some red berry fruit, but overall really lacks fruit/flavor. Medium low acid, with virtually no structure. Slight oak and bitterness on the finish. Not sure what I was drinking but this was not very good. Rather surprised when the bottle was revealed.
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10/9/2020 - jonanator wrote: 92 Points
Really interesting oil texture, nose of wax and lanolin, incense. Definitely worth a try and curious to see how this will age
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9/21/2020 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Slightly oxidative, nuts, red berries on the nose. Great acidity on the palate, very vibrant, again red berry fruit, slightly bitter. Nicely balanced, very long. 91-93
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9/14/2020 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose was very fresh and dominated by herbal notes, as I found fresh basil, lavender, floral aromas, and light red fruit. On the palate, the wine was a bit less expressive, but intense and concentrated, with light red fruit, fresh herbal notes, spices and plenty of minerality towards the long finish. The acidity level on the palate is high, further adding a sense of freshness. It's a fascinating wine, and based on how it showed on the palate, I think it has a bit to go before it reaches its prime.
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8/29/2020 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Paella night (Adam's, Logan Square, Chicago IL): Nose: Deep, aromatic, and quixotic aromas of roasted nuts, vanilla beans, strawberries, citrus notes, dill, rose petals, fresh picked herbs, and oak notes fill the glass beautifully. It is hard to put it down as this is one of the more unique aromatic experiences that a Rose can bring.
Taste: The feel is Medium bodied with racy, high acidity. Even with the age on it, the acidity still packs a punch while the feel is polished and balanced with roasted nuts, vanilla beans, strawberries, citrus notes, fresh picked herbs, and rose petals.
Overall: I am glad that I got this at retail for the regular price as opposed to the marked up secondary market price. Still, this is one of the more unique roses out there and this one is a real beauty. There is an immense amount of depth, style, and class that is greatly enjoyable.
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8/29/2020 - AudunG wrote: 91 Points
Same notes as earlier: Aromas of nuts, honey and vanilla, and some old wood. Firm and structured. Still fresh. Will last for years.
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8/13/2020 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points
A blend of Garnacha (60%), Tempranillo (30%) and Viura (10%). Aged for 4 years in oak barriques and for further 6 years in bottles before release. 13% alcohol, 6,5 g/l acidity. Total production 14,000 bottles. Decanted for a few hours before tasting the wine.
Pale seared salmon with a somewhat evolved orange hue. Somewhat restrained, very complex and slightly toasty nose with nuanced aromas of sweet golden apples, some creamy notes of crema catalana, light caramel tones, a little bit of toffee, a hint of vanilla and a touch of wild strawberry-driven red fruit character. The wine is ripe, moderately full-bodied and very complex on the palate with dry flavors of bruised apples, some rose hips, a little bit of juicy raspberry and sweeter, wizened red fruit, light buttery tones, subtly oaky hints of butterscotch and vanilla and a touch of stony minerality. While the wine isn't particularly big, its complexity and sense of ripeness certainly make the wine feel quite substantial. However, the moderately high acidity keeps the balance very well in check, making the overall feel balanced and pretty structured. The finish is very long, complex and rather acid-driven with intense flavors of bruised apple, some creamy notes of panna cotta, light oaky notes of toffee and vanilla, a little bit of tangy salinity, a hint of browned butter and a touch of wild strawberry.
A beautiful, rich and enormously complex Rosado made in a very singular, subtly oxidative style. While the wine might exhibit some subtly oaky tones, the wine isn't particularly oaky. Instead, it shows a unique combination or ripe, juicy fruit and savory, developed characteristics that result in a wine that is relatively ripe and fruity, yet not so much after all. There are lots of things going on here and even though the wine is drinking mighty well right now, I don't doubt for a moment it couldn't continue to improve for another 10 years or more. An outstanding rosé. Extraordinary value at 27,50€. Highly recommended.
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8/13/2020 - nzinkgraf wrote:
Dark cherry fruit aromas. More than anticipated for sure. Follows to the palate, but with some maturing fruit alongside some soft earthy elements. Light extract in a mineral/stone/chalk kinda way. Medium acid, but the extract helps keep it fresh.
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8/7/2020 - decaturwinedude wrote: 93 Points
Agree with Biskuit. And thanks for sharing. Singualr wine. So much more than rose. Like an LdH white with some oxidation, but then there is this very complex mid-palate that is sweet and spicy and so enticing. A wine that is interesting and complex and immediately glou glou.
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8/6/2020 - Biskuit Likes this wine: 93 Points
Love love love. All you need is LdH.
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8/5/2020 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 93 Points
I am a big LdH fan but had never tried the rosado. I was curious, so I bought a few bottles at the premium price. Absolutely loved it—nutty, waxy, and fruity. Like someone put raspberries and strawberries into my LdH Blanco. I will enjoy the bottles that I have, but unless I can find it at closer to the winery price, I’ll stick to the Blanco for a similarly pleasurable drinking experience.
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8/3/2020 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
10 weeks after the prior: waxy, layered, complex. Absolutely distinctive and lovely again, meted out as an aperitif over four nights — holding up beautifully, and indeed gaining even at the end.
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7/28/2020 - R.H. Likes this wine:
have had mixed experiences w the 09 but this was a v nice bottle. would drink them over next couple yrs
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7/12/2020 - Dale M wrote: 94 Points
Again, nothing to do put kick your feet up and simply enjoy the ride that is a RLH Rosado. Brilliant orange / copper / yellow color (pending the light) with the unusual presentation of smoky peat and raspberries. A very slight oxidatative trait works a very grippy edge in your mouth. Again, a rose like no other.
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6/28/2020 - rc@ughey wrote: 90 Points
This is indeed the world’s best still rose. It’s uncommonly complex, grippy, and deep. Highly satisfying with food and without. As for value, this is a great buy for ~$40 but questionable for secondary market pricing.
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6/20/2020 - Jonny616 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened and decanted an hour prior. Served with Prawn Rosé pasta. A Rosé like no other. Complex, multi-layered flavours and worked beautifully with the dish. A treat.
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5/30/2020 - m.lupus Likes this wine: 92 Points
A rosé like no other, highly enjoyable. But needs a decant at this point and will only get better. Surprise, surprise, this being a LdH wine.
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5/20/2020 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
Pale pink. Intoxicating aromatic, very complex Rosés, red cherry fruits, lifted with touch of herbs and sweet tone. Nice acidity and flavours on the entry, complex, very good length and depth, with proper structured but light on its foot. Lingering with inner perfume, dry clean finish. superb! With raspberry sorbet the flavours levelling up with more acidity and fruits. Rosé just can't get better than this. Kinda ming blowing.
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4/26/2020 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
Wow. Just as good the 08. Beautifully waxy. Complex / layered. This most incredible and distinctive rosé / rosado was stunning on opening, and got only better from the second through the fourth night — to the very last exquisite drop. Wow.
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4/10/2020 - Papies wrote: 90 Points
Went perfectly with BBQ pork ( Souvlaki 2.0) on a very hot afternoon in London. If it wasn’t for the Covid-19 related quarantine it would have been the perfect afternoon.
The wine lends it self for such an occasion, richer and more flavourful than the usual rose and can handle hot days. A touch confectionery and of course by design oxidative but also fruit, firm and not flubby at all. Serious result here and albeit different than the more austere Provence rose wines we usually prefer full of character too. And at 11yrs old very unique. 90-91
Probably one of the few rose wines that can challenge the Papies rules of rose being at its element : 1. Om a very hot day ( preferably by the beach) 2. Must be from magnum+ 3. One must overpay . ( optional 4. Must be served by people wearing white trousers or bikinis)
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4/9/2020 - Madera16 Likes this wine:
In the LdH style of course, so by default this is in a class of its own when compared to other roses. Strong acid in the wine, nice red fruit that opens up after the initial oak. We drank this quite fast so didn’t get to observe it open up that much. Will save the second bottle for a more contemplative occasion.
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4/3/2020 - Aleks Che Likes this wine: 95 Points
Like perfect claret
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3/24/2020 - La Flama Blanca Likes this wine: 93 Points
Complex and thought provoking rosé - In my opinion should be drunk and treated more like a red wine, around cellar temp 55F to 60F. Don’t be afraid to decant for 30 - 60 mins as the aromatics take some coaxing.
Beautiful Rosé color falling somewhere between coral and medium rare Faroe Island Salmon, with an orange Aperol tint. Orange rind, nut skin and aromatic bitters tickle the nose. A creamy saline palate leads to a tangy acidity accompanied by a savory umami. Cranberry bitterness and pickled strawberry?!
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2/29/2020 - AudunG wrote: 91 Points
Very different from any other rose wines. More in style with the rest of the Tondonia wines, since it is made in the same way, with long barrel aging. Aromas of nuts, honey and vanilla. Firm and structured. Still fresh. Will last for years.
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2/28/2020 - rraaffaa Likes this wine: 92 Points
very similar in style to the tondonia whites, but with more fruit, the grenache really shines through and is perfectly balanced with acidity and some oxidized flavors. really delicious and pairs extremely well with a wide range of foods
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2/13/2020 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
While this may be a couple of steps behind the 2008, this is another spectacular effort from LdH. Gorgeous translucent crimson hue with tons of depth and complexity to go along with a monster finish.
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1/26/2020 - Vertigo wrote: 91 Points
Strawberries, orange peel, raspberries, cinnamon, medium acidity, medium- tannins. Moreover, sherry comes into mind. Very different rose but I really enjoyed this style.
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1/20/2020 - thatsbabymakinwine wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful coral shade in the glass. Nose of cinnamides, aniseed, fruit and some alcoholic power. Palate is striking in its dyness at first, becoming a little mellower and rounder over a few hours, with a range of flavours including strawberry, pickle, and a slightly challenging bitter note like that of a quite green Claret, but without any appreciable tannin. Incredibly refreshing and certainly like no other rose I have tasted. A lovely wine and I'm delighted to have finally tasted this following a year or two of reading so much about it. I'll keep all other cases to see how it develops but I can imagine, being a LdH creation, that this will stand the test of time, probably benefiting from tectonic patience.
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11/30/2019 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points
A blend of Garnacha (60%), Tempranillo (30%) and Viura (10%). Aged for 4 years in oak barriques and for further 6 years in bottles before release. 13% alcohol, 6,5 g/l acidity. Total production 14,000 bottles.
Luminous and quite deep onion-skin color with a reddish coppery core. Rich, sweet-toned and somewhat developed nose with layered aromas of those waxy tones typical of Tondonia Blanco, some wild strawberry, a little bit of oxidative toffee character and nuances of vanilla, both pointing out to the prolonged oak aging, light panna cotta tones of cooked cream, a hint of cooked rose hips and a touch of smoke. The nose feels very attractive, but rather closed at first, slowly opening in the glass. The wine is dry and medium-bodied yet quite substantial on the palate with rather ripe flavors of juicy citrus fruits, some fresh red apples, a little bit of savory umami character, light oaky notes of creaminess and caramel, a hint of tangy salinity and a tart touch of red forest fruits. Quite high acidity. The finish is fresh, persistent and complex with layered flavors of fresh red apples, some oxidative notes of caramel and baked apple, a little bit of creamy oak, light juicy notes of ripe citrus fruits, a hint of tangy salinity and a touch of savory umami.
A very complex and immensely attractive rosé that certainly shows that it has been aged for a prolonged time in oak, yet it really doesn't come across as particularly oaky. Sure, there are nuances of caramel, cream and even hints of vanilla, but these characteristics seem to be more about oxidative complexity than true oak flavors. Overall the wine feels much more accessible and open for business than the 2008 vintage at this age, but nevertheless the wine - especially its nose - seemed rather understated at first, opening up quite slowly in the glass. Obviously a wine that benefits from both decanting and long aging in a cellar. This idiosyncratic rosé is very rewarding already now, but will perform much better if given enough age. Extraordinary value at 27,50€. Highly recommended.
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11/30/2019 - Lype Likes this wine:
Still very young and quite closed, good structure and promising, nice fresh fruit is there but still developing and requires several years of cellaring to show its best.
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11/30/2019 - sjw_11 wrote: 90 Points
Pale salmon. Cherry and floral notes on the nose. Touch of varnish as well. As always with these guys this ain’t your grandmothers rose. The palate is bright and fresh but a bit simple in the red fruit spectrum. Is it good? For sure. Is it worth €60? Probably not.
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11/16/2019 - Nojomoschwa Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted this alongside the 2008 version and, while I really liked it, I did prefer the 2008 overall. The 2009 is more high-toned with some noticeable VA (to my senses at least) and didn't seem as powerful as the 2008. It's lighter and brighter, so really a matter of taste. These have now entered the realm of silly prices (no fault of the family's, just the market's greed I guess) but if you can taste one, it's worth your while. Lopez's rosés are just really unique. (I got this one for $90 and the 2008 for $80, fyi.)
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11/16/2019 - Xu Lanhong Likes this wine: 93 Points
Yes, beautiful orange colour and ready to impress on Instagram...However, this is also a seriously good one. Salty and roasted almonds at the outset, followed by orange peel and floral flavours. Acidity is well balanced and this wine drinks now after 10 years very well
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10/11/2019 - morpheusrising Likes this wine: 93 Points
Eminently by drinkable now, as opposed to a lot of other vintages which need more time. Complex notes of sherry, orange citrus, honey, apricot, basil, leather and a bit of oak. Really great and should age well, if perhaps not as long as the ‘08 or ‘00.
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9/21/2019 - Caruso Likes this wine: 90 Points
I agree that it is not so easy to describe the colour. A colour that I've never seen at onions, but perhaps one can say old rosé with an amber tint. However, this is very good indeed, but compared to the whites and reds it is less convincing. Even their standard and basic red Cubillo is a better, more complex, fruitier wine. But as a rosé this is unique. Oh yes, as unique as their white and reds are as well. But there is much less rosado in the market. So these hypes are generated by low availability. Dominated by the nutty and spicy scents and flavors with a bit of peachy and vanilla elements. For me it is best at relative warm temperatures for a rosé up to 17°C but not at textbook cellar temperatures of 12°C or lower. This is going to hold through for some more years, but is best now. As always with Heredia an experience. And maybe every wine aficionado should have drunk one bottle. So with less than 12000 bottles produced per year they should have enough customers for the next hundred and more years. So I'm going to buy the red and whites only for the rest of my life. 5/12/16/7
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7/29/2019 - Elycohn Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fits no category. Clairet may be the closest thing. The color is like nothing you’ve seen before - glowing spiced orange or hot cinnamon candies. Maria Lopez de Heredia calls it onion skin. There is, of course, oxidation and it’s so well interwoven that it feels natural, part of the wine's process.
Salted caramel granny smith apple and apricots and sweet peaches and briny sherry vinegar. And unimaginably light on its feet and chatty, just like Maria.
Drink at cellar temp and over a few days. And yes, lives up to the hype.
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7/25/2019 - RichEB1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow. This is a crazy wine, and wildly different than any rose that I’ve ever had before (in a good way). In fact, if I tasted this blind and blindfolded so that I couldn’t see the color, I don’t know what I’d be guessing, but probably not rose. Speaking of color, this has to be one of the prettiest looking wines I’ve ever seen. Kinda like a bright/fluorescent orangish, reddish, salmon with a tinge of peach. Picture melting together an Orange, Red, yellow, and peach Jolly Rancher. On the nose, this is nice, but not overly expressive, and certainly not the strongest feature of the wine. More earthy type notes with some slight strawberry, and a tiny hint of oxidation. In the mouth, unlike their blancs (and the nose), there is really no oxidation at all. It’s incredibly fresh (especially given it’s a 10 year old rose) and literally bursting with flavors. Really hard to pin down as there’s a LOT going on, but I’m getting strawberries, freshly picked raspberries, earth, damp leaves and leather, which are all blending together seamlessly with a generous amount of acidity creating a unique and incredibly satisfying mix of bright fruit and savory notes, which all end with a very long and mineral driven finish that lasts upwards of 45 seconds. Refreshing and contemplative at the same time. A very serious wine, and a monumental effort. The hype is real.
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7/23/2019 - Caruso Likes this wine: 89 Points
Orange with a copper tint. Hard to describe the colour of this hyped rosado. I'm a real fan of the reds and whites here, since they have great personality, quality and good price/quality ratio. These are unique wines and so I expected not less opening this rosado. Well, this is not an obvious off bottle and it shows no sign of poor storage, but it is a bit disappointing. First it is a rather indifferent showing with scents of low intensity and even the palate is very very light and to put it mildly showing not much intensity of flavors. At this stage a wine that deserved a score in the lower 80s. With a bit of time in the bottle it thankfully gained a bit. In hope of a positive evolution I even decanted a part of the bottle, me, I decanted a rosé! Well, even this procedure wasn't as successful as I hoped, no, not hoped really, but I wanted to get every chance to do the right thing. Nevertheless after that, or maybe simply after time with air-contact it gets more complex with fruity notes and for a short moment minty scents over the oxidative nutty smoky notes. Well, in the end, this is a rosado that is really elegant and complex and really nice to drink on its own on hot summer evening. But, if this bottle is any indications, it is to light, lacking intensity to be paired with food. And this bottle wasn't a bottle of 90+ points. If this is a 93+ points bottle, the l'écume from Negly is a upper 90s points wine (Still my favorite rosé, not because of the low price, but because of its quality). And of course it is not. Maybe there are high bottle variations, something I never noticed on the other releases of this great producer or it simply needs more time in the bottle, something I can't believe, but something that I'm going to check out. But in contrast to the other offerings from this producer, i'm quite sure that this will not get a bargain at 25 to 50€ in germany, if you get a bottle. If you keep in mind that the reserva tondonia red or the gravonia white crianza are cheaper and better... Maybe you mix them up? 5/11/16/7 -2028.
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7/22/2019 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Orange blossom, oranges, herbs, and strawberries on the interesting nose. Medium acidity, orange zest, lemon, and more herbs on the palate. Long finish. Consistent with previous notes. Awesome rose!
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7/22/2019 - nzinkgraf wrote:
At home with tacos. Medium copper color, not much different than I recall the 2017 Alfredo Maestro Lovamor. Initial aromas are quite engaging. Modest alpine strawberry aromas, palate shows lots of freshness, more than I recall the 2008 showing out the gate. Medium minus acid too. Has a little graham cracker on the finish, but just a touch and it’s gone, unless you ruminate on it. Medium body with nice viscosity.
The next afternoon, a quick taste showed this much more savory. Not unlike that 81 GR Blanco and it’s saline, brine-iness. A bit of swampiness really. With time, opens back into the day 1 expression. Charming, the bigger body, on top of the big acid, makes for an overall soft balanced, with sneaky acid.
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7/12/2019 - bevetroppo Likes this wine: 91 Points
This will be a long introduction before I get to the actual tasting, so if you're looking for a hit and run note you might want to start somewhere else.
I know next to nothing about Lopez de Heredia, other than their reputation for late release long-lived wines. In this particular case, we're talking about a rose released 10 years after the vintage. That's patience and a philosophy in action if I ever saw them. This particular bottle was given to me by my brother with explicit instructions to enter a formal review in cellartracker. He told me it's one of those wines that suddenly caught fire in the past few years. Being a prudent purchaser, he found a few probably mismarked bottles in Manhattan for $39. How I long for the day when all bottles were hand-labeled with a price gun instead of scanned at the register! I saw it in a prominent Westchester wine store's email yesterday for $179. It's not a dissimilar story I guess from Chave, Gonon, Clos Rougeard, and other sommelier darlings that suddenly explode in price over a couple of years' window. My brother also said it's not without detractors, which certainly adds to the intrigue.
I normally just open, drink and write, but this seemed to merit more respect. Jeez, what other rose costs this much anywhere? Valentini? So, according to the producer's website, it's a blend in order of garnacha, tempranillo and viura that spends about 4 years in American oak (from the Appalachian Mountains), and obviously another few in bottle before release.
The color is a reddish onion-skin. The oak is the first thing I smell, somewhere between creme caramel and creme brulee. Not an expected rose impression! There's orange zest, cranberry fruit, and light almond nuttiness accompanied by oxidative notes. The nose is not necessarily inviting, but it's not hostile either-just different from expectations. In the mouth, it's deceptive-layered and nuanced. I taste the oak flavors and subdued orange fruit in a delicate yet at the same time intense impression, which perhaps mirrors fine nebbiolo without tasting anything like it. It's medium bodied with creamy impressions and sherry-like overtones. The wood in the mouth persists throughout, and there's no question it's the woodiest rose I've ever encountered. 13% ABV.
What's the verdict? A very interesting wine and I'm glad I had a chance to try it. I'd be hard pressed to pay $179 for it under any circumstances-that's even more than Valentini's Cerasuolo.
To me, assuming I wasn't supposed to wait another 10 years (who knows?), this is interesting and intentionally made but it's a bit hard to swallow the tariff. My brother? He got a steal.
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7/12/2019 - jeff nowak wrote:
First taste of this inexpensive, yet rare rosé. Initially, it had a strong candy apple/cherry popsicle note that was weird. After about 30 minutes of air it completely changed, and expanded into a juicy, slick acid cinnamon stick. Agree with my co taster that there is a mildly oxidized note. Good wine, somewhat unusual. I’m told some pay three figures for this on the secondary market. Get real, people.
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7/9/2019 - Danneskjöld wrote: 91 Points
Mørk lakserosa.
Duft av lys rød frukt. Noe treverk. Oksidativt preg .
Fyldig. God syre. Minner litt om Tondonia Blanco 2005. God lengde. Tørr utgang med saltvannspreg.
Uvanlig rose. Minner meg som nevnt mer om Tondonas hvitvin. Søster og far mener duft minner om cognac eller sherry. Svært god. Tåler mange flere år.
91/100
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6/30/2019 - vinosean wrote: 92 Points
First time having this wine and first time decanting a rosé! Beautiful deep salmon color and an expressive nose of dehydrated cherries, red potpourri, and dill.
Palate of cherry, strawberry, orange peel, herbs/garrigue, and marcona almonds. Med+/Long finish. Unlike any rosé we’ve ever had and definitely worth seeking out.
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6/16/2019 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had to open one after somehow getting a case to see what the fuzz is about. Cherries, peach, salt, and a bunch of oxidative flavors that remind me a bit of sherry on the nose. Great acidity with tart red berries, lemon, and orange zest on the palate. Good finish. This is very unique, interesting, and weird. I loved it! Paid $35, it’s probably worth quite a bit more, but not what this goes for right now at auction...
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6/10/2019 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
While quite good, this was disappointing. There is a harshness like over-brewed tea in the middle which disrupted the harmony of the fruit and textures I expect on this wine. My least favorite TR, tbh. There were nice tart cherry fruit and an aromatic herbal overlay. A bit of the classic nuttiness on the finish. This was still quite good and a special thing amongst rosé, but still left me a bit sad.
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5/18/2019 - LW31 Likes this wine:
Lovely. A bit tight and sour when first taken out of fridge, but with some air and a degree or two warmer, it really blossoms--dark cherries, tart, wild herbs, broadens nicely with a lovely smooth texture. Think this will probably be best in another year or so. Less impressive than the 2008 version.
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5/12/2019 - Dale M wrote:
I can’t think of the last time I have had so much anticipation of a rose, and with good reason as this truly was a singular experience. Lots of notes on CT describe ‘paint thinner or ‘petrol’ which is indeed accurate, but by no means off putting, nor was it as oxidative as I had thought it would have been. Instead, this was exceed lying fresh, spry even, with a textural richness from the use of oak. My normal tool box of TN words simply break down here, as I can’t really describe this other than it had my 100% full attention and that I loved it. Don’t hesitate if you can find this for the proper release price $35-$50 though a head scratcher as to secondary market prices in terms of paying $250 for a rose, but simple supply and demand I get it. Outstanding.
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4/26/2019 - AudunG wrote: 91 Points
Very different from any other rose wines. More in style with the rest of the Tondonia wines. Of course, since it is made in the same way, with long barrel aging. Aromas of nuts, honey and vanilla. Firm and structured. Still fresh. Will last for years.
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4/7/2019 - westopherguy Likes this wine: 92 Points
After somehow, luckily, accumulating nine bottles of the Tondonia Rosado, we finally dared open one. Nose is sarsaparilla, floral notes, herbs, paint thinner. The palate is defying us; tons of minerality here. Very much in keeping with the Lopez style, but entirely different than the whites. The finish reminds me of vanilla salt water taffy. These notes are after pop-and-pour, and look forward to tasting how it evolves as it opens. Regardless, we love R. Lopez, and we obviously hoard it — very much unapologetically.
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