I couldn't help myself, I just needed to have another look at the 2005 Rodas. I find Roda to be quite closed at the moment, you need to have a quick look straight after opening the bottle or a big ol' decant (or about 2 to 3 years in the cellar) to really show what its made of. But that's not anything new, just about every vintage of Roda and Roda II has been the same. The trainspotters will notice the newRioja label on the back of the bottle too. This year's blend is 81% Tempranillo, 9% Craciano and 9% Garnarcha, 1% rounding error...
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to have a look at 5 vintages of one of the standout Rioja wines available in Australia, Lanzaga from Compania del Vinos de Telmo Rodríguez . I tend use the full name of the company these days, as when I visited in February it became very clear that partnership between Pablo Eguzkiza and Telmo Rodríguez has been a key ingredient to building this now very well known company. I still have a load of stuff to write up from my last trip, one of the highlights being a day looking the company's many operations in Rioja...
Tinto y Blanco is all about Spanish and Portuguese wine in Australia, plus the odd bit of restaurant talk, a few recipes and the occasional travel report…