TN: Roda I Reserva 2002

WINE TALK
1

Curiously complex, this youthful wine is a shining light in a sea of sometimes dreary Spanish reds. But this style of wine can at times be brutally overdone. It could have been as brooding as Kyuss, as turbo-charged as Megadeth or dark as Sabbath; but this bottle lacked the heaviness, ferocity and snarl I was expecting from such a young, modern styled Rioja.

The elegant, silky smooth, spicy, vanilla laden, ripe & juicy structured fruit perhaps demanded an hour in the decanter rather than the mere pop & pour I gave it. It is a nicely textured, glossy, plump & tar laden wine with time on its side and I’m pleased this Tempranillo has had a fruit forward makeover when it works like this. I’ll be drinking my other bottles sooner rather than later as quite frankly it is delicious now. Excellent value too from a certain auction site – only $29 per bottle! 14%vol. 92pts

2

I loved the 2001, tried the 2002 a couple of years ago and did not enjoy it.

3

What a shame, Dan. Two years on it has become quite likable and except for the fact this bottling is as rare a hens teeth in the UK which means I won’t be able to source it here again [swearing.gif] , especially at the lowly price I paid. Is it made for the U.S. market?

4

Roda I and Roda (what used to be Roda II, I think the name change made the situation worse, not better) are still produced. I haven’t seen anything newer than the 01 on shelves in the US but WS-Pro says 02/03 are out there. I’ll hold out for 04/05 but might try some 02’s if I see them cheap enough.

The 01 Roda I and II are both stunners.

5

And to be fair, Roda is far from as modern as Rioja gets. 50% new oak, reasonably hands off winemaking, reasonable ripeness levels, no over extraction, I think the wines have a decided modern bent but are still classically Rioja and are still balanced. Many other “new wave” Rioja producers go far to far for my tastes, I think Roda is the class of the lot.

6

I see there are some '01 Roda II Reserva’s available here in the UK. I’ll order a couple of bottles in to try. Many thanks.