Anglo Wines brings you pure excellence from Spain’s most famous region, Rioja. The wines of Bodega Contador are plenty for the region to be proud to have under its belt, especially when in the last two decades other regions have stepped up their game to produce top wines.
Owned by Benjamin Romeo who after 15 years as winemaker at the renowned ‘bodega’ of Artadi, decided to embark on a personal project to produce top quality wine and one that would bear the real fruits of his labour, determination and dedication.
His spirit, wine-making knowledge, which was embedded in him as a child by his father and grandfather, and ability to always go one step further in his projects, have gained him the recognition as one of the best winemakers in the world.
His first wine, La Cueva del Contador was made between his father’s garage and a medieval castle. Contador followed in 1999 and it was this wine which awarded him staggering success with vintage 2004 achieving a 100 point rating by famous wine critic Robert Parker. Other wines then followed as well as the construction of the new state of the art winery in an area well studied by Benjamin.
From a garage to a top class winery, the future is brilliantly bright for this young winemaker and we certainly look forward to tasting his future. Production of his wines, as you would imagine, is limited and at Anglo Wines we are grateful to be able to stock the following:
Predicador 2008
This is the youngest member of the range and released as an entry level wine by the bodega. It looks young with its deep cherry colour and it feels young with its balsamic notes accompanied by plenty of black fruit and a touch of spice. Guia Penin rated it 92/100. Decanting is recommended and definitely enjoy it with food such as grilled red meats and cured cheese. €17.99
La Vina de Andres 2008
This wine was named after Benjamin’s father and was first produced in 2001. It’s a serious, intense and complex wine, yet is silky and delicate. It has an intense cherry red colour which is almost opaque and its ripe black fruit blends perfectly with the wood and ‘terroir’ feel.
This wine will be at its best from 2015 and will happily cellar until approx 2025. Must be decanted and is great with grilled red meats, stews and roasts. €82.99
Contador 2009
As each vintage is released it must be quite a challenge to follow in the footsteps of the grand vintage of 2004 which was awarded an impressive 100pts by Robert Parker. Nevertheless, Contador is only produced in exceptional vintages so the 2009 certainly lives up to its reputation. Immediately attractive by its brilliant cherry red colour, this wine is everything you would expect – thick, full, elegant, long-lasting with perfect acidity and that very ripe black fruit content over balsamic notes, a mineral edge and a touch of spice. This wine should really be left for a few years before enjoying and can then be enjoyed up until around 2040. Definitely decant to really enjoy. €225.99
