Benjamin Romeo Contador Dinner at Cafe Maxx

"The Spanish wine, my God, it is foul, catpiss is champagne compared, this is the sulphurous urination of some aged horse." - D.H. Lawrence

You can't say that about Spanish wine today, there has been a quality revolution over the last three decades.  So when we have a change to break bread with one of Spain’s hottest new producers, I am willing to work on a Monday night!  I jumped at the chance to break bread with Benjamin Romeo, he was worked at Artadi and that is all that I needed to hear being a big fan of those wines and he also has two vintages of his top wine that has hit the 100 point mark with Robert Parker Jr.  Join us as we break bread with Benjamin as Chef Oliver Saucy pairs his new releases to a special five course tasting menu.

The Bodega Contador story starts in 1995 when Benjamin Romeo, winemaker and vine-grower, acquired a centuries old cave hewn into the rock beneath the Castle of San Vicente de la Sonsierra (Rioja). In 1996 he made the first vintage of his “La Cueva del Contador” wine and started to buy vineyards for his plan to become a “bodeguero” - a wine producer.

In the following years he carried out small scale vinifications in the cave and continued to acquire vineyards. In 1999 he made the first vintage of “Contador”.

Seeing these first wines favorably received by the market and specialist press, in 2000 Benjamin decided to dedicate himself full time to his personal project.

Throughout 2001 Benjamin Romeo reconditioned and equipped the garage at his parents’ home in San Vicente for winemaking, thereby increasing the vinification capacity over what was possible in the cave.

The North American wine critic Robert Parker’s Review awarded maximum points (100) to the 2004 and 2005 vintages of Contador, made in the garage. This accolade, hitherto unknown in Spain, hugely increased the label’s international prestige.

From 2004 to 2006, Benjamin Romeo and the architect Hector Herrera worked together on the design of his winery, which was built in 2006-8.

The new winery (bodega) was opened on 21 June 2008, coinciding with the summer solstice. The building sits at the foot of the village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, in the centre of the area where the various Bodega Contador vineyards are located.

The three floors or terraces of the winery mirror the original slopes of the site where it is located, at the same time enabling both fruit and wine to be moved by gravity.

The building’s terraces are covered with plants that blend in with the local vegetation. The winery has exposed concrete walls so that gradually they become coated with dust and end up melding with the earth from which they came.

Bodega Contador Dinner at Cafe Maxx

with Special Guest Benjamin Romeo

Monday, February 17, 2014

7pm

Passarounds

Grilled shrimp

Mini philo purses with crab & bacon

Smoked salmon petite fours with aioli

2012 Bodega Contador Que Bonito Cacareaba  (White)

Price: $79.50       Sale $69.96          Case $811

(93 Points) The 2012 Que Bonito Cacareaba is an unusual blend of 50% Garnacha Blanca, 35% Malvasia Riojana and 15% Viura fermented and aged for eight months in new French oak barrels. It has a shy nose that requires patience and coaxing to reveal itself, but your efforts will be rewarded. Well-oaked with yellow plum notes, round texture and good acidity, this is a great wine that demonstrates the potential of Garnacha Blanca in Rioja. It-s good today but it will be even better if you manage to keep your hands off it and leave it to gain complexity in bottle. Drink 2014-2019. Wine Advocate #210, Dec 2013

First CourseBerry glazed ostrich, braised red chard, and creamy cavatelli pasta shells

2009 Benjamin Romeo La Cueva del Contador

Price: $96.75       Sale $85.14          Case $987

(95 Points) The 2009 La Cueva de Contador is sourced from declassified Contador fruit: pure Tempranillo cropped at 1.2kg per vine that is aged in new French oak for 18 months. Its name is derived from the ancient caves under San Vicente de la Sonsierra castle where the old cellar is located. It has a seductive bouquet with beautifully defined, precise, graphite-tinged black and blueberry fruit that unfolds with passing moments. The palate has immense purity and sense of symmetry and gently grips the mouth on the long, elegant finish. If you cannot afford Contador, well, this sure as hell comes close! Drink 2015-2030. 

Second Course

Sterling beef carpaccio, sundried cherries, crumbled feta, double endive and raisin walnut crostini

2007 Bodega Contador Gran Reserva

Price: $159.00    Sale $139.92       Case $1622

(94 Points)  The 2007 Gran Reserva is a blend of 82% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha and 4% Graciano and 4% Viura. It has better cohesion and purity than the 2008 Gran Reserva on the nose, with brambly, blackberry fruit, fresh violet and Spanish black olives. The palate is well-balanced with sappy black fruit, black plum, soy and a touch of balsamic. It is very composed on the finish and constitutes a superb Gran Reserva.

Third Course

Rack of lamb chops wellington style

2009 Benjamin Romeo Contador

Price: $368.00    Sale $323.84       Case $3754

The sensational 2009 Contador is a blend of 97% Tempranillo and 3% Garnacha from several parcels, cropped at 0.5kg per bush vine and aged for 18 months entirely in French oak. The nose is very lifted with floral notes: crushed violets and rose petals sprinkled over cassis and dark plum fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a gentle, insistent grip. It has a satin-like texture, bewitching harmony and a precise, languorous finish that exhibits spine-tingling minerality. Returning to the bottle hours after opening, it evolves ever-higher degrees of harmony and sumptuousness. It almost leaves you giggling stupidly at how good it is. It is expensive, but it is also cheaper than a First Growth. Drink 2017-2030.

One of the most memorable days in Rioja was spending an afternoon in the company of the inimitable Benjamin Romeo, the tour de force behind Bodega Contador. We flitted from one patch of twisted ancient vines to another, mainly around the medieval village of San Vincente, Romeo again and again propounding his mantra that terroir creates great wine. This involved one perilous drive through vegetation as thick as the Amazon until the 4x4 exited into a parcel of century-old, gnarly Tempranillo vines (upon which he mentioned that they were far more accessible on foot). Since leaving Artadi in 2000, he has gradually acquired around 80 parcels of old vine material, vinifying the fruit in a simple, modern, efficient winery, inaugurated in 2007, a facility that places functionality over aesthetic charms. Benjamin himself comes across as an intense, passionate, uncompromising winemaker, a little distant and apprehensive at first, but warming to someone who is patently interested in terroir. Bodega Contador is certainly a slick operation, fastidious down to the last detail, resulting in a set of sumptuous, silky smooth, curvaceous Rioja wines that are seductive, yet deserve considerable cellaring. Moving on to the 2010s, readers should note that these were bottled a week prior to my tasting them. Although Romeo’s name is synonymous with “modern” Rioja, he told me that he wished to make a classical wine for his mother, whom he described as a “classical woman” and fancied a “change of scene.”

Fourth Course

Pistachio crusted quiche with four cheeses, mushrooms, prosciutto and ham

Dessert

Orange and chocolate chunk crème brulee in almond lace cup

Dinner is $175 + Tax + Gratuity.  For reservations call 954-523-9463.

Other wines Available from Benjamin Romeo:

2011 Benjamin Romeo Macizo Blanco

Price: $30.00       Sale $26.40          Case $306

Macizo is a blend of Xarello and Garnacha Blanca aged for six months in French oak (50% new).

2011 Benjamin Romeo Predicador Blanco

Price: $33.00       Sale $29.04          Case $337

Predicador Blanco is produced with 42% Garnacha Blanca, 33% Viura and 25% Malvasia fermented and aged for 8 months in second-use French oak barrels.

2008 Benjamin Romeo Predicador

Price: $37.00       Sale $32.56          Case $378

(90 Points) The entry-level wine, the 2008 Predicador, is made up of 96% Tempranillo with the balance Garnacha and Viura aged for 16 months in second use French oak. Fragrant notes of smoke, spice box, incense, tobacco, and assorted red and black fruits inform the nose of this relatively forward, savory, well-proportioned, lengthy effort. It has enough structure to evolve for 2-3 years and will provide optimum drinking from 2013 to 2020.

Benjamin Romeo’s winemaking credentials include over 15 years as head winemaker at Bodegas Artadi, one of Rioja’s greatest producers, and two 100 point scores for his 2004 and 2005 Contador.  Wine Advocate #195, Jun 2011

2009 Benjamin Romeo Predicador

Price: $37.00       Sale $32.56          Case $378

(89 Points) The 2009 Predicador is a blend of 89% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha and a cheeky 1% Viura, the fruit sourced from San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Briones and Labastida and then aged in one-year-old French oak for 12 months. It offers brambly red fruit on the well-defined nose, with wild strawberry and cranberry aromas, and a scent of wild hedgerow in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins on the entry. It is tight at the moment, perhaps just a little disjointed, needing 12 to 24 months in bottle to coalesce. But it displays great purity with a structured, citric finish. Drink 2013-2018. Wine Advocate #202, Aug 2012

2008 Benjamin Romeo La Cueva del Contador

Price: $96.00       Sale $84.48          Case $980

(94 Points) The 2008 La Cueva de Contador is 100% Tempranillo aged for 18 months in new French oak. This purple-colored Rioja offers up a striking nose of sandalwood, Asian spices, incense, lilacs, espresso, and blackberry. Savory, ripe, sweetly-fruited, and incipiently complex, it will evolve for 6-8 years and drink well through 2028, if not longer. However, it lacks the depth of great vintages such as 2001, 2004, and 2005.

Benjamin Romeo’s winemaking credentials include over 15 years as head winemaker at Bodegas Artadi, one of Rioja’s greatest producers, and two 100 point scores for his 2004 and 2005 Contador.  Wine Advocate #195, Jun 2011

2011 Benjamin Romeo La Vina de Andres Romeo

Price: $162.00    Sale $142.56       Case $1653

(93 Points) The 2011 La Vina de Andres Romero always has a riper character than Cueva del Contador and 2011 is no exception as it's more open, aromatic and approachable, ready to give pleasure with its round, silky tannins and clean flavors and aromas of wild berries. A powerful, yet elegant wine. Drink 2014-2018.

The big news this year is that Benjamin Romeo, who is one of the iconic producers of modern Rioja, is bottling a Gran Reserva, a tribute to his mother Carmen, a perfect example of the convergence of the modern and traditional styles to produce great Rioja.  Wine Advocate #210, Dec 2013

2008 Benjamin Romeo Carmen Gran Reserva

Price: $162.00    Sale $142.56       Case $1653

(95 Points) The 2008 Carmen Gran Reserva has a classic nose with notes of American oak, some herbaceous character (I mean it in a positive, fresh way) in the shape of some spearmint. It displays an array of notes of tobacco, cured meats, leather, balsamic herbs and a hint of chalk. The medium-bodied palate reveals a powerful Gran Reserva, with intense flavors, great acidity and length. This wine is very different in style to the rest of Benjamin's wines, following the patterns of the classical Riojas of yesteryear. Bravo! Drink 2014-2020.

The big news this year is that Benjamin Romeo, who is one of the iconic producers of modern Rioja, is bottling a Gran Reserva, a tribute to his mother Carmen, a perfect example of the convergence of the modern and traditional styles to produce great Rioja.  Wine Advocate #210, Dec 2013

2009 Benjamin Romeo Contador

Price: $368.00    Sale $323.84       Case $3754

The 2008 Contador, rapidly becoming one of Rioja’s benchmark wines, is composed of 86% Tempranillo and 14% Garnacha aged for 18 months in new French oak. It is a glass-coating opaque purple color with an exceptional bouquet of sandalwood exotic spices, lavender, incense, espresso, tapenade, and blackberry. Dense and mouth-coating, it deftly combines elegance and power in a structured wine that will easily achieve its 20th birthday and well beyond.

Benjamin Romeo’s winemaking credentials include over 15 years as head winemaker at Bodegas Artadi, one of Rioja’s greatest producers, and two 100 point scores for his 2004 and 2005 Contador.