In the glass

Medium-bodiedHigh acidityDryLong finish

Aroma: dried orange, white pepper, almond skin, wild herb, rosehip

Palate: blood orange, pithy citrus, savoury spice, saline

The most famous rosado in the world: barrel-aged for years, copper-coloured, savoury and saline, it drinks like a serious gastronomic white rather than a summer pink.

What it pairs with

  • Gilda pintxo Find gilda pintxo on TableJourney →
    The anchovy, olive and guindilla skewer's salt and acid mirror the rosado's saline bite.
  • Anchoa fresca Find anchoa fresca on TableJourney →
    Fresh marinated anchovy and the wine's saline citrus are a Cantabrian-coast natural.
  • Jamon and melon
    Cured ham with melon meets the rosado's dried-orange savour.
  • Paella de marisco
    Saffron seafood rice finds a serious partner in this gastronomic rosado.

History

Lopez de Heredia ages its rosado in American oak for around four years, an almost unheard-of treatment for a pink wine, producing a savoury, age-worthy rose that has become a sommelier cult bottle.

  1. 1944 — Barrel-aged rosado established in the Tondonia range
  2. 2019 — Tondonia rosado becomes a global sommelier-list staple

Facts

Producer
R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia
Grapes
Garnacha (60%), Tempranillo (30%), Viura (10%)
Classification
DOCa Rioja
Oak
Around 4 years in American oak barrels before release
ABV
12.5%
Price
EUR 30 to 55 at retail
Drinking window
3 to 15 from vintage
First vintage
1944

Scores

  • Vinous 94 (2012 vintage, reviewed 2021)
  • Decanter 93 (2011 vintage, reviewed 2020)

Tags

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