2014 Contador Benjamin Romeo Rioja Spain 750 ml

Bodega Contador is the Opus One of Spain—a heavyweight awash in critical acclaim whose wines infuse classical structure with sumptuous New World opulence in a combination that’s historically left even Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate at a loss: “Words can barely do justice to how singular these wines are. They must be tasted to be believed.” Here’s your shot: Silky, lavish Tempranillo, drawn from twisted, century-old vines. 97 points from The Wine Advocate. First come, first served.

The 97-point 2014—the current release—bursts with ripe black cherry, Damson plum, and blueberry aromas perfectly balanced by savory exotic spice, sandalwood, balsam, and vanilla complexity. Dense, but not overly weighty on the palate, the 2014 shows the unique muscularity and grace of the best of modern Rioja.

From 1985 to 2000, fourth-generation winemaker Benjamín Romeo worked at Bodegas Artadi, which Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate properly called “one of Rioja’s greatest producers.” Then, Romeo went his own way and never looked back. “Lento y fuerte” — “measured but forceful” — is how Romeo describes his wines, but anyone who has met the man can attest that those words describe the winemaker just as aptly.

Romeo started out buying a few prime vineyards in Rioja and aging wines in a rock-hewn cave beneath the Castle of San Vicente de la Sonsierra. His first vintage was 1999; he made his 2004 and 2005 vintages of the flagship Contador wine in his parents’ garage. Miraculously, they went on to win 100-point scores from The Wine Advocate, launching Romeo into the pantheon of Spain’s winemaking superstars. 

In the ensuing years, Romeo acquired 24 acres of extraordinary vineyards, most of them in the San Vicente area. The vines in these plots are ancient, often over a century old, struggling to survive in poor, dry soil that makes for wines of tremendous intensity and fantastic minerality. Wild thyme, rosemary, and lavender grow in fields around the vineyards, scenting the air and, some would tell you, the wines.

Both in the fields and in the cellar, Romeo is meticulous, obsessing over every detail. The sheep manure used for fertilizer is specially batched by the winemaking team. Corks are selected from high-elevation mountain regions like Castellón. Racking is done only during waning moon cycles, using the gravitational pull to keep particles at the bottom of barrels.

These efforts led critics to find Bodega Contador flirting with perfection once again in 2014. Awarding a scorching 97 points, The Wine Advocate called this vintage “intense, pungent, ripe without excess, with aromas of spices, exotic woods, balsam, earth, wild flowers and berries.” One or two bottles of this silky, plush beauty in the cellar will make you fast friends with any serious Spanish collector. Don’t delay.