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THE STORY
“Benjamin Romeo has been the winemaker at Artadi since its founding in 1985. He was born in the heart of Rioja in the village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra in 1964. The son of a grape grower, his entire life has been spent in a relationship with the vineyards and wine. He studied Enology at the University of Madrid.
In 1995 Benjamin bought an old 14th century winery cave under the fortress of San Vicente de la Sonsierra. For centuries the wine was made at the winery in the village below and then carried in goatskins to the caves. Because each goatskin varied in capacity, there was a person stationed in this room at the entrance to the aging cave whose sole function was to count and weigh each skin as it came into that particular cave. When the wine was ready for sale, the process was reversed and the skins were counted and weighed on their way out. That room where the counting and inventory took place is called the Contador, thus the name of the wine.
Seven centuries later, Benjamin Romeo is using these same caves to store and age his wines in near perfect conditions, thus respecting old traditions while utilizing ever-evolving modern wine technology. Grapes are sourced from very old vines from a small old hillside vineyard known by the locals as “corros”. The elevation of these plots is from 1,250-1,500 ft. These vineyards were chosen because they have the old clones of Tempranillo, which yield an average of 1kg per vine. The soil is calcareous clay, poor in organic matter. The climate is Continental.”
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Benjamin Romeo La Cueva Del Contador 2006
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,...
Wine Advocate: 94+
Regular Price: $99.99Coupon Code Price: $57.99
Bottle Size: 750 ml
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Benjamin Romeo Contador 2003
The 2003 Contador (a meager 200 bottles for the American market) was sourced from three tiny parcels ranging in age from 65-80 years. It was fermented in new French barriques, aged for 12 months, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The result is a spectacular wine with a remarkably expressive nose of pain grille, lead pencil, spice box, espresso,...
Wine Advocate: 99
Regular Price: $314.99Coupon Code Price: $150.00
Bottle Size: 750 ml
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