The revolutionary Rioja Contador (100 Parker points) catapulted Benjamín Romeo to international fame. Predicador 2020 has all the distinguishing features of the winery and its star wine but at a price anyone can afford. Grown on the firm’s youngest vines, aged between 20 and 40 years old, in San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Labastida, a privileged area, it also comes with the guarantees of a vintage, 2020, that was rated Excellent in the D.O.Ca. Rioja.
Highly recommended.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
Consumption time
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
2% Graciano, 3% Garnacha tinta, 92% Tempranillo, 3% Mazuelo
Type of barrel
French oak barrels
Barrel aging time
18 months
Capacity (cl)
75
Total acidity (g/l)
5.83
pH
3.55
Alcohol content (% vol.)
15
General Information
Benjamín Romeo was one of the leaders of the revolution Rioja wines underwent in the mid-1990s. His red Contador achieved 100 Parker points in two successive years – quite an accomplishment. Predicador 2020 is its younger brother. Designed from grapes grown on gobelet-trained vines between 20 and 40 years old cultivated in small plots in San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Labastida, and from an Excellent-rated vintage.
Tempranillo accounts for 92% of the blend; Graciano, Garnacha and Mazuelo make up the remaining 8%. Fermentation took place in oak vats, followed by 18 months in French oak barrels, some new and others used the previous year.
Bodegas Contador started out in 1995, in a small garage winery. It literally was a garage as that’s where its first wines were fermented, before being matured in a cave dug out of the hillside traditionally used for making and ageing wines: the cave of El Contador. After leaving Artadi in 1999, where he worked as a winemaker, Benjamín Romeo devoted himself fully to his own firm.
Benjamín Romeo was very familiar with the area and gradually bought up small vineyards around San Vicente de Sonsierra, in the foothills of the Sierra de Toloño, which meet high quality standards: old vines planted in poor soils, different exposures to sunlight and altitudes. In 2008 he opened an impressive new winery in the midst of the vineyards of San Vicente de la Sonsierra. The scrupulous care given to the vineyard explains the quality of his range of wines, which are designed to reflect the surroundings and the terroir.
Predicador 2020 (D.O.Ca. Rioja) is good with meat dishes such as shoulder of Ibérico pork with a reduction of forest fruits or a nice grilled beef steak.
Creators' opinion
Cherry red, medium to high intensity. Balsamic notes with a slightly mineral character in the nose. Ripe red fruits and fine oak. Fresh, very refined and elegant palate. Long finish.
The winery
Benjamín Romeo is one of the most prominent figures among those local winemakers who renewed Rioja in the nineties. His wine Contador catapulted him to international glory. A revolutionary Rioja with which he achieved, in two consecutive vintages (2004 and 2005), the 100 Parker points, the highest international recognition for a wine. The meticulous care of the vineyard explains the quality of his range of wines, conceived as a reflection of the environment and the terroir.
The history of Bodegas Contador began in 1995, in a small garage winery. And it was literally "garage," as his first wines fermented in a garage, while the aging process took place in a cave dug into the hillside, traditionally used for winemaking and aging: the Contador cave. After leaving Artadi in 1999, where he worked as a winemaker, Benjamín Romeo devoted all his attention to his personal project.
A great connoisseur of the area, he gradually acquired small vineyards around San Vicente de Sonsierra (D.O.Ca. Rioja), on the slopes of the Sierra de Toloño, which met high-quality standards: old vines on poor soils, with different exposures and altitudes. In 2008, he inaugurated a new and spectacular winery in the middle of the vineyards of San Vicente de la Sonsierra.