Benjamin Romeo Rioja Bliss

Spain is an area that very few have had the opportunity to jump into with great determination and dedication over the years. And those that have, have benefited from a king’s ransom worth of wine and enjoyment. One of the few Spanish treats around is Benjamin Romeo out of the Rioja district. Romeo is an enthusiastic and fanatical winemaker that only plays with one grape; Tempranillo. In no way does he, or has he ever, strayed away from this illustrious grape. It is what he knows and wha the world expects him to make. In the New World, you will never find a successful winemaker staying with but one grape. No, they will expand to other varietals and then work outside of their comfort zone. Not Romeo. It’s all Tempranillo or bust. In the area of Rioja (in Northern Spain), Romeo makes but a mere 3 wines; Predicador (a 3.5 hectare vineyard site), Contador (the flagship wine of the estate) and the La Cueva del Contador (the baby brother of the Contador.

Today I was fortunate enough to try the 2006 La Cueva del Contador, which is on extremely limited supply. This wine was recently awarded 94+ Points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and seemed like a true homerun. Well, drum roll please……IT WAS!!! Wow.

The purple-colored 2006 La Cueva del Contador was aged for 12 months in new French oak and bottled without fining or filtration. It gives up an outstanding perfume of pain grille, pencil lead, damp earth, incense, and black cherry. Opulent on the palate, it is dense, rich, and full-flavored with enough ripe tannin to evolve for 4-6 years. Drink this lengthy effort from 2014 to 2031.

~94+ Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This wine is tight, unfortunately, but after going back to my glass from 2pm (it’s 8:30pm now), it has started to open up ever so slightly. It is extremely dense and opulent with tons of black fruits and floral notes on the nose with those wonderful gamey hints emerging out. The palate is an explosion of flavors! Black cherries, plums, licorice and the greatest layers of earth and graphite dominate while those gamey aromas start to wave up on the tail end of the palate. Backed with it's 94+ Points from Robert Parker, this limited production wine truly is a masterpiece for only the truly invested wine lover. While they are around, I would highly suggest a bottle of 6 pack for the cellar as these types of treasures don’t arise everyday.