Tasting a legend - Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Rosado 2000

Visiting the historic town of Haro in Rioja is like going on a pilgrimmage for wine enthusiasts. On one winding street, there are several highly regarded bodegas including La Rioja Alta, Muga, and Roda. But most legendary of all is the winery of R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia, founded in 1877.

I had the good fortune to visit the Vina Tondonia tasting room with my dear friend Ana, a wine professional living and working in this wine mecca. It was there that I learned that they only vinify their rose wine during the best vintages, and production has been said to be under 2000 cases. After grapes are hand harvested and vinified, the wine ages four years in barrels and then rests in bottle even longer. As my visit came to an end, I purchased a 2000 vintage of their Gran Reserva Rosado.

In the years since, I have moved twice, and that precious bottle has come with me. There were many times I looked at it on my wine rack and wondered, “When is the right time to open a wine this special? And who should help me drink it?” This week, I was hosting my master of wine friend, Martin, at my new place in New Jersey, and I decided this was the right time to open it. Another local wine friend, Ivonne, joined us.

After starting with a Champagne from Ivonne, we moved on to the main event. When my friend began opening the wine, the aged cork snapped in two, and, despite our best efforts, the last half inch of cork sank to the bottom along with crumbly cork dust. Not to be deterred, I grabbed a water pitcher and poured the wine through a fine sieve that caught all the tiny cork pieces. Now we were ready to see if this 25-year-old wine was as wonderful as we hoped.

The color was glowing amber at the core like embers from a fire after a night of conviviality. The color mellowed to a deep onion skin as it stretched to the rim. It was a gorgeous wine to behold.

On the nose, we found a complex melange of aromas with orange peel at the fore. As the wine opened up, I found baking spices, apricot, and toffee as I inhaled.

The palate was truly wonderous. As we took our first sips, we all looked at each other with eyes wide - without words we conveyed to each other that this was a wine we would remember for the rest of our lives. At 25 years old, it was still so vibrant, with acidity lifting up rich flavors of marmalade and clove. This was no faded beauty; the rosado was full bodied, the tannins had grip, and the finish lasted for ages.

We enjoyed the wine with an assortment of Spanish jamon, Manchego and other cheeses, and fresh baked crusty bread. As we savored this rarity, we laughed over wine and travel stories, waxed philosphic about life, and sang the praises of this still-young wine.

As the evening wound down, I felt certain that my instincts to open the wine that night were right. Because enjoying a rare wine takes more than just acquiring a bottle. For maximum pleasure, you also need to share it with friends who can appreciate why the wine is so special. This week, I happily had both.