Contador 2023

The 2023 vintage of the wines of Bodega Contador, from acclaimed winemaker Benjamín Romeo (D.O.Ca. Rioja), is now on the market through En Primeur sales and specialist retailers.

The vintage is described as excellent, with the Rioja Regulatory Council rating 2023 "Very Good". The wines keep the house's characteristic profile: power, structure and meticulous integration of French oak.

The Wine Advocate
RP 97
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The 2023 Contador has the rare ability to be extreme, ripe, generously oak-aged, powerful and concentrated, yet still come across as balanced and elegant. In 2023 it was made with 94% Tempranillo and 6% Garnacha from vineyards in different sites in the village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra: Bardallo, La Nava, El Bombón, Paulejas, El Saúco, San Juan, La Rad, El Cerezo and La Tejera. The grapes were destemmed but not crushed and fermented in oak vats; the wine matured in new French oak barrels for 20 months. It has 15.5% alcohol, but you don't notice it — perhaps only if you drink the whole bottle — and it's balanced by a pH of 3.52 and 5.64 grams of acidity. It's decadent, hedonistic and showy. Production: 4,200 bottles.

Contador's wines are classic examples of the modern Rioja style — ripe fruit, generous oak, concentrated and powerful, yet with balance and elegance. Benjamín Romeo is behind the winery's name and stays true to the style, making some of the best wines of this profile in Rioja, though some are very oaky, extremely ripe and high in alcohol.

Published: 12 March 2026