The term
garagiste (“garage winemaker”) is thought to have originated when the tiny Château Valandraud, in Bordeaux’s Saint-Émilion, released its first wines in the early ’90s and became an overnight sensation. Those wines, from less than a hectare of vines, were indeed made in a borrowed garage—not a
château, name notwithstanding—but the critical acclaim they received propelled them into Bordeaux’s elite ranks. Almost concurrently, Riojan vintner Benjamin Romeo and his Bodega Contador had essentially the same trajectory: The son and grandson of Rioja winemakers, Romeo spent 15 years at Artadi before launching a label of his own in 1996, making the wines in his parents’ garage.
And while we make a point of not citing critics’ scores in our offers, it was very tempting to do so for today’s wine, “Contador” (look up the ’04 and ’05 vintages if you have time—or this one, for that matter!). This is a spectacular Rioja that deserves the hype, in my opinion: It delivers an elusive combination of soulfulness and spare-no-expense luster that brings another Spanish great, Vega Sicilia’s “Unico,” to mind. Over the course of tasting and re-tasting today’s 2014, the word I kept coming back to was “impeccable.” It is meant to compete with the greatest red wines in the world, and it does just that; if you have the means, I’d urge you to add two bottles to your collection today.
In true garagiste fashion, Romeo produces only about 500 cases of “Contador,” although these days the wine is crafted in an architectural showpiece of a winery in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. Designed by Romeo and architect Hector Herrera, the three-floor, terraced winery is nestled into a hillside and surrounded by Contador’s assorted vineyard parcels, featuring ‘green’ rooftops covered with local plants. San Vicente de Sonsierra is situated in the foothills of the Sierra Cantabria Range, east of Haro, in the heart of La Rioja Alta; since acquiring his first vineyard plots in the late-’90s, Benjamin has grown his collection to more than 60 individual sites, all of them now farmed organically. Although there are some variations in soil types among these diverse plots, the dominant composition is of clay and limestone.
“Contador,” which is only made in the best vintages, is sourced from about a dozen old-vine parcels in the towns of San Vicente de Sonsierra and Briones, with Benjamin overseeing every aspect of the process with meticulous care. Not only do you feel the energy and purity of naturally grown fruit, you also taste clean, careful winemaking and the most rigorously selected, best-quality French oak. This is a winemaker who wants the “best” everything: the best barrels, bottles, corks…you name it.
And it shows: Dispensing with the traditional Rioja age categories—this wine aged about two years, with about 18 months in 100% new French oak, which would place it somewhere between a crianza and reserva—Romeo is following more of a Bordeaux château model here, creating a wine that really defies categorization. Fruit for the 2014 Contador—100% Tempranillo according to one source; Tempranillo with small splashes of Graciano and Mazuelo according to another—was hand-harvested and de-stemmed before fermentation in conical wooden fermenters of various sizes. However, unlike so much modern Rioja, wood isn’t the dominant storyline here: Yes, there is lots of warm, oak-derived spice and a hint of vanilla bean as well, but it is seamlessly integrated into a wine of great finesse and complexity.
In the glass, Contador is a deep, brilliant ruby-black with magenta highlights, its fruit component a brambly tangle of red and black wild berries, black plum, and currants. Layered in are aromas and flavors of wild rosemary, pimentón, tobacco, and lavender, everything delivered in a rich but very refined package. So many modern Riojas are so impenetrably oaky in their youth it can be difficult to imagine where they’re going; this one is so integrated and balanced already, with no excessive oak tannin or sappy extract bombarding your palate, that it can be enjoyed now. It’s full-bodied, but not excessively so, with loads of energy and a lingering, floral finish. I’d suggest decanting it an hour or so before consuming in Bordeaux stems at 60-65 degrees, but the wine’s precision balance will serve it well over the long term—it’s got 20 years in it at least! I’d say forget about it for at least five years and you will be in for an incredibly rare and special treat: Pair it with the attached stuffed pork tenderloin and take your time savoring every sip. It’s worth it, believe me!
