The first white is the 2018 Predicador Blanco, a blend of 59% Garnacha Blanca, 32% Malvasía Riojana (Alarije) and 9% Viura, an austere barrel from different vineyards, most of them on clay and limestone soils. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in barrel for eight months. There is ripeness without excess in this 2018, as well as power and freshness, and the oak is neatly folded into the fruit, coming through as harmonious and integrated. The nose is elegant, with notes of flowers and dry fruit and a twist of spice. The palate is seamless and balanced, with clean flavors and a pleasant twist in the finish. This has to be one of the finest Predicador Blanco to date. It should age nicely.
The Bodega Contador story starts in 1995 when Benjamin Romeo, winemaker and vine-grower, acquired a centuries old cave hewn into the rock beneath the Castle of San Vicente de la Sonsierra (Rioja). In 1996 he made the first vintage of his “La Cueva del Contador” wine and started to buy vineyards for his plan to become a “bodeguero” - a wine producer.