Red Wine The Preacher 750 ml

Preacher Red Wine

D.O.Ca. Rioja

Varieties:

Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo

Vintage:

Made with clusters of vines between 20 and 35 years old. In order to guarantee the level of quality, during the pre-harvest, only one cluster per branch is left on the vines, so that during the final phase of ripening the grapes reach the required level of concentration and balance.

Tasting Note:

It shows a cherry red color of good intensity and very bright.

The nose highlights red and black fruits, fine woods, hints of scrubland, notes of spices and a mineral touch, showing great complexity.

In the mouth it is powerful, fresh and ripe, with volume, full of fruity sensations. With balanced acidity and sweet tannin that provides structure and persistence. At the same time, it results in a very fine, delicate, very long and pleasant wine.

Breeding:

16 months in 1 wine barrels, 100% French oak.

Alcoholic grade:

14.5% vol

Operating temperature:

16º-18ºC

Packing:

750ml bottle. Boxes of 6 bottles

Contador Winery

The history of Bodega Contador begins in 1995, when the oenologist and viticulturist Benjamín Romeo acquired a century-old cave under the castle of San Vicente de la Sonsierra (La Rioja). In 1996 he produced the first harvest of his wine “La Cueva del Contador” there and began to buy vineyards for his winery project.

During the following years he carried out minimal-scale vinification in the cave and continued acquiring vines. In 1999 he made the first vintage of his wine “Contador”.

In 2000, after verifying the good reception of these first wines by the market and the specialized media, Benjamín decided to dedicate himself exclusively to his personal project.

During 2001, Benjamín Romeo equipped the garage of his parents' house in San Vicente to make wine. In this way he increases the winemaking capacity that the cave offered him.

The magazine of the American critic Robert Parker gives the highest rating (100 points) to the 2004 and 2005 vintages of “Contador”, made in the garage. This recognition, unprecedented in Spain, boosts the international prestige of the brand.

Between 2004 and 2006, Benjamín Romeo prepared the project for his current winery together with the architect Héctor Herrera. The work was carried out between 2006 and 2008.

The new winery was inaugurated on June 21, 2008, coinciding with the summer solstice. The building is located at the foot of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, in the center of the territory occupied by the various vineyards on the property.

The three-story structure or terraces of the winery reproduces the original slopes of the land and at the same time facilitates the handling of grapes and wine using gravity.

The terraces of the building are covered with plants that integrate with the native vegetation. The winery has exposed concrete walls, so that it becomes impregnated with dust and ends up blending in with the land from which it was born.

VINEYARD

The key to the work at Bodega Contador is the meticulous attention to a multitude of details in all stages of the production process: from the care of the vineyard soil to the design of the labels. Benjamín Romeo personally supervises all of these tasks.

The acquisition of vineyards and plots suitable for growing vines is Benjamín's passion. Bodega Contador has more than fifty plots with different soils, microclimates, orientations, altitudes, varieties and clones, which allow us to obtain wines of great complexity.

Most of the vines are trained in glass, the pruning method traditionally used in La Rioja. The winegrowers at Bodega Contador leave a single bud per thumb, to limit production and enhance the quality of the grapes.

The land is plowed an average of six times a year, between pruning and grape ripening, depending on the circumstances of each season. Tillage includes various jobs, among which there are some specific to viticulture, such as chopping the shoots.

The land is fertilized only some years, and always with organic matter made by the winegrowers of Bodega Contador themselves from sheep manure. All the work in the vineyards is organic, respectful and sincere.

The vines receive only the essential treatments to guarantee the health of the grapes. Bodega Contador uses only non-waste products.

Between May and July, various green pruning and thinning are carried out. In August the first and second flowering clusters are removed, and in September a first harvest is carried out.

The harvest is carried out manually by experienced grape harvesters. The grapes are transported to the winery in boxes of 14 kilos capacity and within a maximum period of half an hour.

In the winery, a manual selection of bunches is carried out and, after destemming, a manual selection of grains is carried out.

Bodega Contador works exclusively with the ten most prestigious cooperages in France, and with the highest-end barrels from each of these cooperages. Benjamín Romeo travels to France to personally select the best oaks.

Aged wines remain in barrels for between 18 and 20 months. During this period, several rackings are carried out, as well as weekly fillings to make up for the losses that occur in a room with a moderate degree of humidity (65%) for health and hygiene reasons. All wine movements are carried out taking into account the lunar cycles.

The stoppers are made with cork from different Spanish mountains (Castellón, Toledo, Gerona, etc...). In the forests of these mountains, Benjamín Romeo personally selects the cork oaks that will be destined for the bottles of Bodega Contador.

All data comes from Bodega Contador