2010 Viña Tondonia Rosado, Gran Reserva, Bodegas R. López de Heredia, Rioja, Spain

It is always a joy to taste the Tondonia Rosado and the 2010 is no exception. A blend of 60% Garnacho, 30% Tempranillo and 10% Viura, the colour is incredible – deep blood orange with glints of orange sapphire. The nose offers sweet, heady spice and exotic notes of pot pourri, orange candy, pink grapefruit and clementine – a more youthful than the two previous vintages. The palate has astonishing freshness, with tart, slightly unripe satsuma dominating – yet behind there is such delicate sweetness, with notes of redcurrant and passion fruit seeds mingling with savoury hints and wild strawberries. From an exceptional vintage, this clearly has a long life ahead of it. Over time, this will develop to offer the nutty ethereal richness for which it is known. Drink ideally from 2024 – but you could broach a bottle from 2021 on a warm summer’s evening, if decanted to allow the tight acid structure to relax and to let the wondrous spices shine through.