A Mediterranean vintage for scholars of Tempranillo
'From a warm vintage with an early harvest, this is a well balanced Rioja with considerable complexity. There`s a ripe plum character to the black fruit aromas, along with warm tobacco hints and earthy, undergrowth notes. Like a perfectly stretched tapestry, this shows a taut precision to the winemaking, with admirable balance. Polished black fruit, spice and chocolate notes show good persistence. A sense of freshness and fine tannins with juicy grip on the finish; this has life ahead of it.'
95 points, Julie Sheppard, decanter.com, May 2020
Tradition and modernity seamlessly fused, wines of complexity and character - Bodegas Roda are one of the great success stories of modern Rioja. But then, they got things right from the very start. After an exhaustive analysis of vineyard sites across Rioja Alta, co-founders Mario Rotllant and Carmen Daura acquired parcels in 17 of the very best. They focussed on old and especially bush vine sites. And they deliberately assembled a viticultural and winemaking team that had extensive experience outside Rioja - and very little within it. The bodega was officially founded in 1987, but by the time their gravity-fed winery was complete in 2001, they had already gained a reputation as one of the region's best producers.
They are also scholars of Tempranillo; their research has identified 552 different clones. Of these, they have selected only 20 for propagation, chosen specifically for the way they respond in certain vineyard plots. They spotted early on that many of their plots ripened with different fruit profiles in different vintages. From that observation followed Roda I; it is always assembled from parcels that have that year ripened in a black fruit profile.
Winemaker Agustin Santolaya separates vintages into 'Mediterranean' and 'Atlantic', depending on the season's prevailing influence. With a hot (and sometimes stormy) summer, 2015 is very much a Mediterranean vintage, silky and sweet, packed with warm, ripe fruit. There's a touch of fire in the spice, the impression of tobacco and expensive black chocolate. Rarely does Rioja seem so upscale and polished. /NT
Offered subject to confirmation; for shipment Winter 2020/21
