Lopez de Heredia Gran Reserva Rosado worth it?

[Jonathan_Jetter]

I recently opened the 2009 and it was meh. Way too dry and not super interesting to be honest. Second bottle I have had including one served to my wine group. There was zero enthusiasm for the bottle. For me, hard pass given price.

This was my experience too. Just felt muted all around. I’ll take another shot on another vintage at $40 when I can get it at that price, but not at $100+.

I’d expected much more from all the TNs I’d read.

I like their reds and love their whites, for whatever that’s worth.

[doug_johnson]

2011 LdH Rosado is available at B-21 for $60/bottle

www.b-21.com

This here is a nice tip. Thanks, Daniel.

Sold out!

[Brian_Pinci]

2011 LdH Rosado is available at B-21 for $60/bottle

www.b-21.com

Sold out already!

[Tvrtko_C]

The price hike over the last couple of years has been painful, but, try as I might, I can’t think of another wine quite like it. And it is great.

(BTW, this is probably under the radar for most people, but just last year Thymiopoulos in Naoussa released a 2007 Xynomavro Reserve Rose’. Complexity-wise, while perhaps not quite there, this really made me think of the LdH in quite a number of ways, at half the price or less, depending).

[Otto_Forsberg]

The price hike over the last couple of years has been painful, but, try as I might, I can’t think of another wine quite like it. And it is great.

(BTW, this is probably under the radar for most people, but just last year Thymiopoulos in Naoussa released a 2007 Xynomavro Reserve Rose’. Complexity-wise, while perhaps not quite there, this really made me think of the LdH in quite a number of ways, at half the price or less, depending).

Lol I hade the wine only a month ago in a blind tasting. A stunning rosé by every standard imaginable. Here’s me quoting myself on my TN:

Holy moly. The wine did seem quite like a rosé wine when it was poured, but I was still quite unsure whether the wine was rosé or red because of its immense complexity, somewhat evolved character and rather deep, red-toned flavor. One of my guesses was Heredia’s Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Rosado, which should give you some idea of the style - even if the cherry and tomato stalk notes really didn’t point out to Rioja. I was just at a loss where this kind of wine could come from. A very unique and compelling wine, hands down one of the greatest rosés I’ve had and one of the most singular Greek wines. Outrageous quality for the price at 26€ - this is one of those unicorn ones that nobody has even heard of. Very highly recommended.

[Tvrtko_C]

Holy moly. The wine did seem quite like a rosé wine when it was poured, but I was still quite unsure whether the wine was rosé or red because of its immense complexity, somewhat evolved character and rather deep, red-toned flavor. One of my guesses was Heredia’s Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Rosado, which should give you some idea of the style - even if the cherry and tomato stalk notes really didn’t point out to Rioja. I was just at a loss where this kind of wine could come from. A very unique and compelling wine, hands down one of the greatest rosés I’ve had and one of the most singular Greek wines. Outrageous quality for the price at 26€ - this is one of those unicorn ones that nobody has even heard of. Very highly recommended.

Yup. Some serious character on that wine. Incidentally, I was blinded on this less than a week ago in a tasting set up by my best mate. I nailed this one almost straight away, but would have been hard not to seeing as I’d had it twice before, and I think it really does have a very pronounced and distinct character. Wasn’t so lucky with some of the other wines. Just to give you an idea, one was a 10-year-old Jagoda (???) from Shumadija in Serbia (indigenous white variety apparently known only to that particular farmer and his two brothers, tasted for all the world like a pleasant but not great Alsatian Pinot Gris with some RS and some age on it) and another was a 2010 bottle of this: https://www.bibendum.com.au/Bongiraud-Obecanje-Gamay-a-Petits-Grains-2011-750ml.html.

I’ve been tasting wine blind with this guy for many years, but I think I’ll need to be very realistic about what to expect from myself the next time around

[Otto_Forsberg]

Wasn’t so lucky with some of the other wines. Just to give you an idea, one was a 10-year-old Jagoda (???) from Shumadija in Serbia (indigenous white variety apparently known only to that particular farmer and his two brothers, tasted for all the world like a pleasant but not great Alsatian Pinot Gris with some RS and some age on it)

Whoo boyo

another was a 2010 bottle of this: > https://www.bibendum.com.au/Bongiraud-Obecanje-Gamay-a-Petits-Grains-2011-750ml.html> .

Oh that one! Fun wine, have had one or two vintages of that one. Was the 2010 still alive and kicking?

[Tvrtko_C]

Oh that one! Fun wine, have had one or two vintages of that one. Was the 2010 still alive and kicking?

You kidding? Fresh as a bloody daisy and took a couple of hours in the decanter to really get going. Thankfully, though, it’s not really a Gamay, or else I would have to reconsider…

[Otto_Forsberg]

You kidding? Fresh as a bloody daisy and took a couple of hours in the decanter to really get going. Thankfully, though, it’s not really a Gamay, or else I would have to reconsider…

Oh yeah, you were one of those weird anti-Gamay people.

The 2011 I had was otherwise very lovely, but perhaps a bit too high in VA for my preference (and I’m quite tolerant of VA) with a somewhat sappy / stemmy overall character that really didn’t fit that well with the warmer-climate Gamay character.

The 2013, on the hand, was very lovely indeed, coming across like a warmer-vintage Cru Beaujolais without any obvious sweetness and much more acidity and tannins one would expect from warm-vintage Bojo! Feels like a wine that is going to age wonderfully for years more.

[Tvrtko_C]

Oh yeah, you were one of those weird anti-Gamay people.

The 2011 I had was otherwise very lovely, but perhaps a bit too high in VA for my preference (and I’m quite tolerant of VA) with a somewhat sappy / stemmy overall character that really didn’t fit that well with the warmer-climate Gamay character.

The 2013, on the hand, was very lovely indeed, coming across like a warmer-vintage Cru Beaujolais without any obvious sweetness and much more acidity and tannins one would expect from warm-vintage Bojo! Feels like a wine that is going to age wonderfully for years more.

You’ll need to take my word for this, which I am sure you’re eager to do , but, believe me, the 2010 at this stage tasted NOTHING like a Cru Beajolais, not even a passing resemblance. Thankfully, as I said

[RichardFlack]

I am a big fan of Spanish wine, especially the traditional producers like Lopez de Heredia. I’ve been interested in the Lopez de Heredia Gran Reserva Rosado for a while, but haven’t pulled the trigger. Something just feels funny about spending over $100 on a bottle of Rose, even though rationally I know this is not your typical summertime porch pounder.

What are the opinions on this wine from those of you that have had it? Worth it? Not worth it? Why or why not? My understanding is that it is a pretty unique wine, but any recommendations for something that might provide similar experience without such a painful hit in the wallet? Thanks!

Huh?
The 2010 was recently available at the KGBO for $61 Can, per, all in. That equates to about $40 in the Excited States I think.

So on that basis, I’d say no. Yes a great wine, but I would not pay $100 US for it.

Is that typical US pricing or an anomaly?

PS. I did pay $60 Can for a few, however.

[Andrew_A_r_n_t_f_i_e_l_d]

Richard, yeah, that’s one of the rare times when the KGBO’s bizarre pricing model worked in our favour.

[Noah_C]

Thanks for all the opinions everyone. There seem to quite a few people saying they can find it for less. Well, wine-searcher lists only a single brick-and-mortar retailer in the entire state where I live who is selling it at $124.99. By looking at all the offers that will ship to me, there is the $60 B-21 offer, which is now sold out, and then the second cheapest offer is just around $100. It goes up quickly from there. I had seen the B-21 offer before, but wasn’t excited about the idea of shipping wine out of Florida in the middle of June. I’ll keep looking, I suppose…

[YLee]

Data point. In the past year I have bought these 3 times and all 3 times I’ve paid about $40-$45.

[Rich_Brown]

2011 LdH Rosado is available at B-21 for $60/bottle

www.b-21.com

This here is a nice tip. Thanks, Daniel.

Sold out!

I was literally just going to post that its probably not actually available, as the same exact thing happened with the 2010 last year at B21. Check out the link Jayson included in post #2.

Between that and Robert’s experiences with them, definitley no plans to buy from B21 anytime soon.

[Rich_Brown]

Data point. In the past year I have bought these 3 times and all 3 times I’ve paid about $40-$45.

Yep, the deals are out there if you look hard enough. I made it a personal mission to find some last year after the disappointing B21 scenario and was able to snag 7 bottles of the 2010 for $35 a pop.

That said, I personally do think that the Rosado is worth trying even at $100 as its an utterly unique and singular wine …but you don’t need to pay that much if you put the time in

[John_Glas]

I am a big fan of Spanish wine, especially the traditional producers like Lopez de Heredia. I’ve been interested in the Lopez de Heredia Gran Reserva Rosado for a while, but haven’t pulled the trigger. Something just feels funny about spending over $100 on a bottle of Rose, even though rationally I know this is not your typical summertime porch pounder.

What are the opinions on this wine from those of you that have had it? Worth it? Not worth it? Why or why not? My understanding is that it is a pretty unique wine, but any recommendations for something that might provide similar experience without such a painful hit in the wallet? Thanks!

Probably saw how much the Berserkers loved it and raved about it in posts and raised the price!

[G_Keeler]

We were gifted a bottle of Rosado by Maria when we visited LdH back in 2010. I like the wine and have had a handful of vintages but just like the white, I find them best in the context of a tasting menu and not sharing a whole bottle. Especially for the white, one glass is interesting and can create some fun food pairings but more than that gets to be diminishing for me.

Love the reds though. 54 Tondonia that I had in 2009 is still a top 10 bottle for me.

[Rob_S1]

If you look at it as a bottle of wine as opposed to the belief that rosé is a lesser wine, then yes to me it’s a $100 bottle of wine and a great wine at that price. Some people will never wrap their heads around a rosé being serious or expensive though…

[Brent_S]

Drinking a 2010 as I write this. Yes it’s great. For $40-60 at least. For $120 I don’t know. All comes down to what your expectations are. This drinks like a red wine but is light and refreshing, similar to a Blanc de noir champagne. Red fruited but not heavy on the palate. Such a long finish.

I believe I was the guy that bought the last 8 bottles of 2011 from b-21. Happy to share with anyone LA based when I have them shipped in the fall. Just send me a private message if your interested