Early on in the life of their winery, Bodegas Roda spotted that many of their best vineyard plots ripened with different fruit profiles in different vintages. The observation gave rise to their Roda I label, always assembled from plots that have 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. And it`s been given a lick of pretty posh oak. Rarely does Rioja seem so upscale and polished. (NT 26/10/20){Luis Gutiérrez}The 2015 Roda I feels very complete, from a year of full ripeness when the grapes achieved more nuance and flavor and the tannins seem to have ripened nicely. It`s a powerful year with clout, quite classical (but with the touch of French oak), already starting to develop some tertiary aromas and more nuance. There`s something balsamic in there, even minty, I`d say. In 2015, it only had 3% Graciano to complement the Tempranillo from old vines that fermented with indigenous yeasts. The élevage lasted 16 months and was in 50/50 new/second use barriques. But the wine was kept in bottle for 48 months before it was released, which I think is important. 100,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2017. 94 points
- Producer
- Roda
- Origin
- Rioja, North central Spain, Spain SPAIN
- Colour
- red
- Wine Style
- dry
- Dominant Grape
- Tempranillo
- Farming Style
- organic
- Closure Style
- cork
- Maturity
- drink or keep
- Bottle Size
- 75cl
- Case Quantity
- 6
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Wine Score
- 95 points, Julie Sheppard, decanter.com, May 2020 17.5 points, Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com, April 2020
94 points, Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com, October 2020
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Media Reviews
Julie Sheppard
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
Jancis Robinson MW
Healthy dark, shaded garnet. Rich, sweet, compact nose. Then admirably savoury, pure Tempranillo notes on the finish. Clearly very ambitious, as the price indicates, in the modern idiom but not too overdone. Refreshing finish after the velvety ripe start. Long and neat. Pretty impressive. 17.5 points
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