The Alma is the brand new wine from Rioja house Contador, from winemaker Benjamin Romeo. This wine is distributed via Place du Bordeaux where it is distributed among the official wine merchants (including Grand Cru wines). Benjamin Romeo, recognized winemaker in Spain is an icon with consistently very high scores from wine critics around the world, including Robert Parker, who awards 100 points to Contador 2004 & 2005.
This New cuvée from Benjamin Romeo reflects the 'magic' of winemaking San Vincente de la Sonsierra, the historic center of Rioja. The wine is named after his 6-year-old daughter Alma, released on March 8 - International Women's Day. Made from 3 plots located in the high, medium and low altitudes of Benjamin's vineyards, bringing respectively intensity, minerality and a more gourmand profile: La Viña de Andres, El Bombón & Diasol. Alma, "Soul" in Spanish, also represents the soul of this unique blend of the 3 lots. There is a limited production of this fine wine. The Contador Alma is a blend of Tempranillo, with some Garnacha Tinta for freshness and elegance. Aging for 20 months in new French oak barrels from six different cooperages.
Benjamin Romeo wanted to create a more classic style and he succeeded with this first edition of the Contador Alma. It is perfumed and floral, with notes of aromatic herbs, a little balsamic with very fine tannins and freshness, as it contains more grapes from the higher used areas. It's powerful and elegant.
FACT: In the Tab: Attachment you will find the official factsheet of this fine wine and a number of beautiful photos. We will automatically send you these when you order this wine. The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will also receive a nice discount. We are almost next to the Rijksweg with plenty of parking space. Click here for address
De Alma 2020 toont een parfum van blauwe en paarse vruchten met bloemige en aromatische kruidtonen, lichte balsamico en houtaccenten van sandelhout en wierook, terwijl fijne tannines en frisse zuurgraad het geheel krachtig maar elegant houden. Daardoor werkt hij uitstekend bij rijk vlees en hartige gerechten: de tannines en zuurgraad snijden door het vet van gegrild rundvlees en lamskoteletten, de geconcentreerde fruitigheid vult gestoofde schotels aan en het balsamico-achtige karakter past mooi bij gerijpte kazen; bijzonder geslaagd zijn gegrild entrecote of ribeye, langzaam gegaarde brasades of stoofpotten met rozemarijn en tomaat en een kruimige, gerijpte Manchego of oude schapenkaas.
Professional Reviews
Parker
97
Rating 97
Release Price $140
Drink Date 2022 - 2032
Reviewed by Luis Gutiérrez Issue Date 14th Jul 2022 Source July 2022 Week 2, The Wine Advocate
The new red blend 2020 Alma Contador is going to be sold mostly through the négociants from Bordeaux. It was produced with grapes from three vineyards in San Vicente de la Sonsierra at different altitudes and is a blend of Tempranillo with 8% Garnacha with limited yields because of mildew. It matured in new French barriques for 20 months. He wanted a more classical image and perhaps a more classical profile of wine. It's perfumed and floral, with notes of aromatic herbs, a little balsamic and quite showy, with very fine tannins and freshness, as he used more grapes from the higher-altitude zones. It's powerful and elegant, and in a way it reminds me of the style of the initial vintages of La Cueva de Contador; it's clean and elegant. It's 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.55. It's very young but still drinkable, as the quality of the tannins is very good. I think this is the one wine I'd buy from their portfolio if I could only buy one. It transported me to the wines from the early 2000s. 10,000 bottles produced.
In 2018, Benjamín Romeo changed the style of the whites, moving away from very ripe and dense wines to more freshness and less ripeness and volume, looking for more drinkability, with more acidity, blocking malolactic. This all comes from an almost experimental white he did in 2017 (when he didn't bottle the Que Bonito Cacareaba), a wine that started the style, the Colección Nº 5 Parcela El Sauco. The change has been incremental each vintage, and the 2020s felt fresher than the 2019s.
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James Suckling
94
BODEGA CONTADOR RIOJA ALMA DE CONTADOR 2020
Friday, September 9, 2022
Country
Spain
Region
La Rioja
Vintage
2020
Score
94
A new project of Contador that, according to Benjamin Romeo, took a Bordeaux approach of blending vineyards at three different altitudes. The blend is mainly tempranillo and some garnacha. Right after pouring, there is still some sweet plushness from the oak, but this peters out and turns to incense and sandalwood with time in the glass. Then come aromas of blueberry concentrate, balsamic purple fruit, hot stones, lavender and iodine. There’s a high level of ripeness and concentration on the palate, with purple and blue fruit that renders a brooding, almost pulpy feel. But the fresh acidity keeps it going, delivering a nice contrast to the weight and extraction. Long, dense and tight, but silky, too. Embryonic at this stage, but shows potential. Just slightly potent at the end. Will be released in 2023. Drink from 2025.
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The Beginning in the Cave (1996-2000) The story of Bodega CONTADOR begins in 1995, when winemaker Benjamin Romeo purchases an ancient cave under the castle of San Vicente de la Sonsierra - La Rioja. He made his first wine "La Cueva Del Contador" from his 1996 harvest. In 1999, the first year of the now renowned top wine "Contador" is a fact.
The garage (2001-2007) 2001 is the year that Benjamin Romeo also furnishes the garage of his childhood home in San Vicente for winemaking, in addition to the cave, with which he increases production capacity. Robert Parker awards the 2004 and 2005 volumes of "Contador", made in the garage, with the highest rating possible: 100 points and the international prestige of Benjamin Romeo wines is a fact.
Bodega CONTADOR (2008-present) The new bodega will open on June 21, 2008, located at the foot of the San Vicente de la Sonsierra, surrounded by a diversity of vineyards that include unique wines such as "Predicador, La Cueva Del Contador, La Viña De Andres Romeo en Contador "and" Qué Bonito Cacareaba "
Food
De Alma 2020 toont een parfum van blauwe en paarse vruchten met bloemige en aromatische kruidtonen, lichte balsamico en houtaccenten van sandelhout en wierook, terwijl fijne tannines en frisse zuurgraad het geheel krachtig maar elegant houden. Daardoor werkt hij uitstekend bij rijk vlees en hartige gerechten: de tannines en zuurgraad snijden door het vet van gegrild rundvlees en lamskoteletten, de geconcentreerde fruitigheid vult gestoofde schotels aan en het balsamico-achtige karakter past mooi bij gerijpte kazen; bijzonder geslaagd zijn gegrild entrecote of ribeye, langzaam gegaarde brasades of stoofpotten met rozemarijn en tomaat en een kruimige, gerijpte Manchego of oude schapenkaas.
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