It is not very often that one wine possesses enough power over me to get free reign of the blog for a week. However, those wines do exist, and in fact, one of them just arrived in the store. The wine is produced by Rioja’s Lopez de Heredia; perhaps the last serious holdout for what some refer to as ‘old school’ Rioja. They eschew nearly all modern ideas about winemaking and the result is some of the most compelling and timeless wines that I’ve tasted from anywhere.

The wine in question is the current release of their rosé. Here is the catch, it was made in the year 2000. While pretty much every single other winery in the world rushes to get their 2010 rosés to the market this spring, these folks patiently roll out the barrels of rosé that they deem ready. This year it is the 2000 vintage. For perspective, the current vintage of their white wine is 1990.

My thought from the beginning – even before I had tasted this wine - was that these guys must know what they’re doing. Wine geeks across the world have raved about this stuff as long as I can remember, and well, it’s not the cheapest rosé on anyone’s shelf. But, considering the time and know-how at play here there is no way that this stuff is going to be cheap.

The first thing that will strike you about this rosé when you open a bottle is the color. Now, I’ve seen rosés that after 3 years were brown and tired looking. This one, despite the mind boggling near-decade in barrel, is still vibrant looking at its center. The outer third is a burnished tangerine hue, undoubtedly reflecting its age. I was still struck by how youthful it looked in my glass.

The wine is comprised largely of the red Graciano grape with roughly 20% Tempranillo and a splash of the white grape Viura. Well, I wouldn’t change a thing with the blend because it just explodes on the palate, even after only a minute of aerating in the glass. The vibrancy of the tangerine and cherry at the core is surprisingly not overshadowed by the dried/candied fruit notes at the periphery. These dried notes are a giveaway that the wine has some age on it, but they come across as a compliment rather than the dominant fruit aspect. Peppery red fruit notes and some hazelnut appear together at the bright finish. I propose that this is a wine that might be at its peak this spring.

Pleasure is hard won in this life and chances to catch truly great wines at their magic moment don’t come often. Drop in soon, our stock is limited and I think I hear the crowds coming… 24.99/btl.