Hacienda López De Haro, Classica Rosado, Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2009

Rose wine has been the greatest category success story of the last decade in the wine world -- driven by Provence. Provence, though, no longer has a monopoly on that success: rose drinkers everywhere are beginning to wake up to the fact that this category, too, has its highways and byways, all of which offer distinctive and authentic pleasures. An oak-aged rose from 2009? Why not? In place of fresh creaminess, you'll find a mellow, forest-like warmth; in place of chiffon fruits, you'll find concentration and structure, vinosity, secondary fruit resonances and even a faint tannic grip. This is emphatically a rose for food, and if you’re not receptive to the proposition of oaked rose then you're better off looking elsewhere, but for those whose palates are open to this other world, this is a rewardingly layered, mouthfilling and satisfying aged wine.

Back to 2022 DWWA Best in Shows: Top 50 wines to try