2010 - Benjamin Romeo Vina Andres, Rioja

The 2010 La Vina de Andres Romeo was picked on October 6, later than the 2009, which was harvested on the September 28. Benjamin Romeo regards this as a more “complete” wine, since all the plots were firing on all cylinders and enjoyed a slightly longer hang time. It has a very intense, opulent and complex bouquet of macerated dark cherries, minerals, rose petals and a touch of eau-de-vie. The palate is medium-bodied with tense, structured tannins that might be just a little coarser than the 2009 but, along with the lower pH, lends the wine greater tension and poise. It is an exceptional Rioja that deserves several years in bottle. Drink 2017-2030+ One of the most memorable days in Rioja was spending an afternoon in the company of the inimitable Benjamin Romeo, the tour de force behind Bodega Contador. We flitted from one patch of twisted ancient vines to another, mainly around the medieval village of San Vincente, Romeo again and again propounding his mantra that terroir creates great wine. This involved one perilous drive through vegetation as thick as the Amazon until the 4x4 exited into a parcel of century-old, gnarly Tempranillo vines (upon which he mentioned that they were far more accessible on foot). Since leaving Artadi in 2000, he has gradually acquired around 80 parcels of old vine material, vinifying the fruit in a simple, modern, efficient winery, inaugurated in 2007, a facility that places functionality over aesthetic charms. Benjamin himself comes across as an intense, passionate, uncompromising winemaker, a little distant and apprehensive at first, but warming to someone who is patently interested in terroir. Bodega Contador is certainly a slick operation, fastidious down to the last detail, resulting in a set of sumptuous, silky smooth, curvaceous Rioja wines that are seductive, yet deserve considerable cellaring. Moving on to the 2010s, readers should note that these were bottled a week prior to my tasting them. Although Romeo’s name is synony