Benjamín Romeo
About Benjamín Romeo
There can be fewer places better to cut one’s teeth as a winemaker in Rioja than the imperious Artadi, home of Viña El Pisón, one of the world’s truly great prestige cuvées. In fact, Benjamín Romeo not only learnt his craft at the foots of the Rioja masters here at Artadi, he himself mastered the craft spending an incredible 15 years at the estate before finally striding out on his own, crafting wines befitting of his prodigious talent.
Establishing Bodegas Benjamín Romeo at the turn of the millennium, it was immediately clear that this label would ascend to the very highest heights of the appellation’s hierarchy. Chief amongst his range of cuvées is Contador – a worthy rival to any single wine from the plethora of Rioja’s legendary bottlings.
Sourced from a strict selection of vines with over 60 years of age, the Contador cuvée is both the flagship wine of Romeo and incredibly rare with only around 6,000 bottles produced every vintage. In 2007, the Contador joined the elite group of only 45 wines from Rioja scored 98 points and above by the Wine Advocate – ever. This accolade should come as little surprise however...10 of that 45 were crafted by Benjamín Romeo!
| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Rioja | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,351.55 |
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Rioja | 1 | 97 (DC) |
Inc. VAT
£1,911.89 |
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Decanter (97)‘You can’t spit this,’ Benjamín Romeo told me when I tasted it from barrel. It wasn’t the finished blend, but after a gap in production in 2013, Contador is back with a swagger. Rosemary, violets and dense plum and blackberry fruit, ripe tannins and a fresh flourish. This is a big wine, but it doesn’t lack subtlety. |
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Rioja | 5 | 98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,428.80 |
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Wine Advocate (98)I like the austerity and seriousness of the 2018 Contador, which has very similar parameters as the 2019 but comes through as fresher and more balanced, with very fine tannins and pungent flavors and a long, dry and chalky finish. It's approachable now but should improve with time in bottle. Fermentation and élevage were the same as in 2019—oak vat and 20 months in new barriques, which are being absorbed without problems. It's rich and powerful but with elegance and lots of balance. It should be a classical and long-lived vintage of Contador. 4,500 bottles produced. |
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Rioja | 5 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,674.80 |
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Rioja | 5 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,180.78 |
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Rioja | 1 | 98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£476.40 |
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Wine Advocate (98)The 2005 La Vina de Andres Romeo is a bit more brooding and backward. Opaque purple/black, it has an alluring nose of toasty oak, pencil lead, scorched earth, espresso, truffle, and blackberry. Tightly wound but beautifully balanced, this is an opulent effort that requires patience. Give it 10-12 years of further aging and drink it from 2020 through 2040. |
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Rioja | 6 | - |
Inc. VAT
£356.38 |
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Rioja | 4 | 95 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£424.78 |
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Vinous (95)(100% tempranillo, sourced from a single 3.5-hectare vineyard that reportedly yielded 10 hectoliters per hectare; fermented in a single open-top wooden tank; 15% alcohol): Opaque purple. Intoxicating scents of black raspberry, boysenberry, incense and violet, along with notes of black pepper and anise. Lush, spicy and expansive, offering powerful red and dark berry compote and vanilla flavors and an exotic candied floral quality. Clings impressively on the endless, subtly tannic finish, energized by zesty acidity. |
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| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Rioja | 1 | - |
In Bond
£1,107.00 |
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|
Rioja | 1 | 97 (DC) |
In Bond
£1,574.00 |
|||||
Decanter (97)‘You can’t spit this,’ Benjamín Romeo told me when I tasted it from barrel. It wasn’t the finished blend, but after a gap in production in 2013, Contador is back with a swagger. Rosemary, violets and dense plum and blackberry fruit, ripe tannins and a fresh flourish. This is a big wine, but it doesn’t lack subtlety. |
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|
|
Rioja | 5 | 98 (WA) |
In Bond
£1,170.00 |
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Wine Advocate (98)I like the austerity and seriousness of the 2018 Contador, which has very similar parameters as the 2019 but comes through as fresher and more balanced, with very fine tannins and pungent flavors and a long, dry and chalky finish. It's approachable now but should improve with time in bottle. Fermentation and élevage were the same as in 2019—oak vat and 20 months in new barriques, which are being absorbed without problems. It's rich and powerful but with elegance and lots of balance. It should be a classical and long-lived vintage of Contador. 4,500 bottles produced. |
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|
Rioja | 5 | - |
In Bond
£1,375.00 |
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Rioja | 5 | - |
In Bond
£964.00 |
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|
|
Rioja | 1 | 98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£476.40 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (98)The 2005 La Vina de Andres Romeo is a bit more brooding and backward. Opaque purple/black, it has an alluring nose of toasty oak, pencil lead, scorched earth, espresso, truffle, and blackberry. Tightly wound but beautifully balanced, this is an opulent effort that requires patience. Give it 10-12 years of further aging and drink it from 2020 through 2040. |
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Rioja | 6 | - |
In Bond
£277.00 |
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Rioja | 4 | 95 (VN) |
In Bond
£334.00 |
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Vinous (95)(100% tempranillo, sourced from a single 3.5-hectare vineyard that reportedly yielded 10 hectoliters per hectare; fermented in a single open-top wooden tank; 15% alcohol): Opaque purple. Intoxicating scents of black raspberry, boysenberry, incense and violet, along with notes of black pepper and anise. Lush, spicy and expansive, offering powerful red and dark berry compote and vanilla flavors and an exotic candied floral quality. Clings impressively on the endless, subtly tannic finish, energized by zesty acidity. |
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