Viña Tondonia 

Viña Tondonia is a beautiful vineyard of over 100 hectares, situated on the right bank of the river Ebro, where the most typical Rioja wines are grown. 

Viña Tondonia Rosé Gran Reserva 2000


 
Last night I had this absolutely gorgeous rose wine from a winery in Rioja. Vineyards here are planted at a range of altitudes from 500 to 800 metres; the soil are a mix of limestone based clay with high proportion of iron. The Cantabrian mountains protect Rioja from the worst of the Atlantic influence thus the continental climate is the key for the long growing season in this region and the altitude mitigate the hot summer that occurs in Spain. The training system are generally bush wine and also help to reheat the sun accumulated during a day in the cool night which in Spain the temperature between day and night can drop even 20°. Planting are dominated by black grapes varieties 75% of Rioja are red wine with 15% rose. The grapes varieties were 20% Tempranillo, 60% Granacho and 20% Viura.
Tempranillo is a thick skinned grape, naturally low in acidity, and so it needs sufficient warmth to achieve physiological ripeness, hot climate can cause the wine the lack in acidity for perfect structure. Consequently the hot summer temperature are moderate by the altitude.
Graciano are used to add black fruit aroma, acidity which is higher in respect to Tempranillo and also give structure and help the wine to age.
Viura also called Macabeo is high in acidity and gives perfume to the wine.  

THE ROSE was 
Perfect cherry rose with red skin onion color with a tawny rim. Wonderfully intense and complex. Elegant nose of dried tomatoes, pumpkin seed, matches, leather, lavender, iris and rose wood with a voluptuous saltiness and preserve cherry and raspberry in the palate; well drinkability and freshness clay minerality on the palate. Pleasurable acidity ...
I love Spain... Chiccios
 


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