2001 Benjamin Romeo Contador La Cueva Rioja: The 2001 La Cueva del Contador (100% Tempranillo) was aged in French oak prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Its deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by a rich perfume of berry fruit, spice box, new saddle leather, cigar smoke, and earth. Medium to full-bodied, rich, and concentrated, it may be slightly too muscular and extracted for its own good, but it is impressively pure, rich, and, hopefully, loaded with potential. The tannin needs to become better integrated, so give it 2-3 more years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 10-12 years. 90 points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate #152 (APR 2004)
There is no doubt that Benjamin Romeo is a perfectionist when it comes to winemaking. He worked at Artadi between 1985 and 2000, and now has his own small project where he makes limited quantities of super-expensive, but also high quality, limited production Rioja.
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