Description

Contador est un vin sans équivalent dans La Rioja. Ce cru exceptionnel, le plus emblématique du domaine, est issu d’une sélection de raisin provenant de parcelles distinctes, présentant ainsi un assemblage différent à chaque millésime. La première sélection est effectuée en deux phases de vendange, réalisées par deux équipes de vendangeurs spécialement formés pour sélectionner les grappes adéquates. Par la suite 50% seulement du raisin vendangé est vinifié.

Produits dans un garage, les millésimes 2004 et 2005 de ce vin ont créé l’évènement en obtenant la note de 100 points au Parker. Aujourd'hui encore les critiques sont dithyrambiques, comme en témoignent les 99 points attribués par le guide Peñin à ce millésime 2012 ou encore les 97 que lui a récemment donnés Luis Gutiérrez, critique de The Wine Advocate, qui a placé Contador sur le podium des meilleurs vins de la Rioja lors de sa dernière dégustation.

Fiche technique

Le domaine
Bodega Contador
Type de vin
Red
Millésime
2012
Alcool
15.2% vol.
Cépage
92% Tempranillo, 4% Graciano et 4% Mazuelo
Origine
Rioja

L'avis des experts

The Wine Advocate:

"One of the best showings for this wine in years, the 2012 Contador has an intoxicating nose of violets, lilies, blueberries and black cherries, with great harmony, denoting superb elegance. The palate is silky, with world-class tannins and texture, focused, clean flavors, very good balance and gob-smacking power and elegance. A rare combination. This is truly other wordy. It has the balance, stuffing, acidity and minerality to have a long life in bottle, but its exuberant youth is difficult to resist. Unfortunately, wines like this come at a price. I tasted two bottles, and even though it's not as polished as the Carmen Gran Reserva, it was approachable. But it would clearly benefit from more time in bottle. A couple of weeks later, I was served it and didn't recognize the wine at all; I found it extremely oaky and extracted, and in fact I guessed it to be a Tempranillo from Toro, which was disturbing when the wine was revealed as I didn't identify it at all (not even Rioja!). It showed very differently. We all know different bottles and circumstances show very differently, so I thought this was relevant to be mentioned here, as it made me hesitate. They told me the day of that blind tasting was a root day, but still I'm adding a question mark to my score, which might ultimately bee too conservative. 5,900 bottles produced".