Rioja Gran Reserva Rosado, Vina Tondonia, R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia 2008

The only Gran Reserva rosé of the Rioja appellation (they were waiting for the appellation's back labels, as they have to print them especially for López de Heredia) makes a glorious comeback with the 2008 Viña Tondonia Rosado Gran Reserva, which follows the previous 2000. This has a completely different profile from the rest of the rosé wines produced in Rioja—and the whole world (I think, as I have not tasted them all!). It really is a "clarete," not a rosé, as it's produced with a mixture of red and white grapes (60% Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo and 10% Viura) fermented and macerated together. It's a matured and developed rosé aged in used American oak barrels for four years and kept in vat and bottle to be released at age ten.There are always spicy and musky notes of cinnamon and dried flowers with a nutty twist, which the winery likes to describe as "halfway between a white and a red." It has an orange, onion-skin color with an unusual, characterful nose, a thousand miles removed from any rosé in the world, with notes of cinnamon, almonds and dried rose petals, but it feels still very young and it can develop more aromas in the bottle. The palate has sharp acidity and pungent flavors, which make the wine very long and persistent. This is not a wine for everybody; it can be one of those hate-it or love-it wines, an acquired taste.For comparison's sake, I tasted a bottle of the rosé from 1976, and the wine had a fully developed nose with a lot of aromas reminiscent of their whites, with hints of asparagus and herbal tea. Going back to the 2008, it showed totally primary and with aromas that made me think of hard candy and flowers. 13,200 bottles were filled in May 2014. Drink 2018-2030.