2001 Contador

Romeo’s flagship cuvee (only 200 bottles for the USA) is the fabulous 2001 Contador. Along with some of the Artadi offerings, it is as great a Rioja as one could ever hope to taste. Fashioned from three parcels of 80-year old, 70-year old, and 65-year old vines, it spends 12 months in new French oak prior to being bottled without fining or filtration. It boasts a dense purple color along with a sumptuous nose of melted chocolate, espresso roast, creme de cassis, cherries, and flowers. Dense and full-bodied as well as impeccably seamless, pure, and balanced, this is a beauty! Apr 2004, www.robertparker.com