I’ve have had the pleasure of tasting mature Rioja lineups dating back to the 1960s and beyond. And while truly classic Rioja can take decades to enter peak drinking conditions, a new genre of producers has emerged over the past few decades, employing winemaking practices akin to top Bordeaux chateaux and bringing wines to earlier maturity with greater power.
While there will always be a place in my heart for those perfumed and earth-driven Riojas of old (López de Heredia is perhaps the most famous example), it’s impossible to ignore this new wave of producers, especially today’s: Bodegas Roda. Their polished, dark-fruited 2005 reserva has entered its peak drinking window and offers a modern look into a classic appellation—and hints (really expensive) classified Bordeaux in the process. As Roda notes on its website, “There is no hurry to get a return on investment. The constant aim is, with time, to be recognized as producers of one of the greatest wines in the world.” That’s an ambitious goal, but I believe they’re on the right trajectory to accomplish it. As the weather turns colder and dinners get heartier, this is a hedonistic red to unleash on friends and family in the coming months.
The name ‘Roda’ comes from the first two letters of both owners’ surnames: Mario Rotllant Solá and Carmen Daurella de Aguilera. They came together to create their vision in 1987 and have tirelessly sought out the best vineyard sites, built an impressive
bodega atop a 19th century cellar, and immersed themselves in research projects for breakthroughs in viticulture and vinification. Their winery abuts the Ebro river in Haro and is clustered among some of the superstars of Rioja (check the
map). The railroad you see running perpendicular to the property was used in the late 1800s to transport local wines to Bordeaux during the phylloxera crisis and the cellar that Bodegas Roda now owns was used as storage while waiting for these trains to arrive. Not many people realize Rioja’s proximity to Bordeaux; it’s less than 200 miles as the crow flies, and the influence of Bordeaux winemakers has long informed some of Spain’s greatest wines.
In the vineyard, Roda choose mature vines and select only the finest fruit by limiting grape pounds per vine and acre. They employ a team of 40 harvesters and several passes are made in order to ensure perfect ripeness. Twenty distinguished vineyards spread throughout 28 different microclimates are chosen each year (they own 70 hectares and contract farm another 50, all of them bush-trained vines) and the top 17 are selected for wine production—the rest are sold off. In the winery, a six-person team sorts through the grapes and they are then shuttled into 17 French oak vats. That number is not by mistake—grapes from each individual vineyard are kept separate. For malolactic fermentation, the wine is moved into another cellar and transferred into first- and second-year French oak barriques. It was made with 100% bush-vine Tempranillo and barrel-aged for 16 months. It was bottled unfiltered, lightly clarified with egg whites, and then saw 20 additional months of bottle aging in their cellars.
In the glass, the 2005 “Roda I” exhibits a deep garnet core moving to orange brick and light garnet hues on the rim. It doesn’t have the sweet-and-sour quality, or the dill and sawdust, that is often found in Rioja. This nose is dense, polished, and oozing with class. You’ll discover highly concentrated black currant, dried black plum, black cherry, vintage leather, tobacco leaf, sandalwood, dried violet, wild herbs, anise, and a kiss of cacao. The palate is full-bodied and shows immense depth while remaining incredibly elegant. Tannins are smoothed out and the core of fruit retains a wonderful richness that is perfectly balanced by freshness. It’s a bold expression of Rioja that is bound to make lots of new friends. It’s approaching its peak now and will drink well over the next 5-10 years if not longer. Give a quick 20-30 minute decant to discard any rogue sediment and allow it to evolve in large Bordeaux stems. Just like the wine, the pairing should be a rich, yet classic dish. Go for slow roasted lamb, Andalusian style. Cheers!
