Roda 1 Vertical Tasting 1992-2004

Interesting tasting held in Barcelona on 16th September 2008 at la Fundació Foto Colectania just on the north side of the Diagonal.
It was led by winemaker Agustín Santolya, who for almost an hour guided us through the Roda vineyards with the help of his powerpoint. Still at a disadvantage not always understanding Spanish word for word, for me he spoke clearly and beautifully about his work, whilst avoiding the purple prose that some fall into. The wines had been poured just before we were allowed to take to our seats, so they'd all had time to open up ready for tasting.
1992 Wet year and rain at harvest
Not surprisingly quite advanced. Dry and quite tannic, but with a good finish. Warm, vanilla, spicy and rich.

1994 Only year with Garnacha. Fabulous vintage since dry and the grapes in good health.
Still youthful looking, but a very closed nose. V. good fruit with high acidity and firm tannins.Slightly austere and minerally. Chocolate as well.

1995 Another good year, but the fermentation was difficult because of high temperatures.
Paler and more advanced colour than the '94. Much more luscious with good tannins, but still with a high mineral content. Lots of wood.

1996 A good year with reasonable rainfall, but well dispersed.
Darker and duller. Very distinct animal nose and quite profound. Floral and really very different. Really good, but completely different from other vintages - like mature French wine.

1997 Atlantic influence with a cold and wet summer. Good September and October.
Over ripe and maybe not 100% clean. Very acidic and not much fruit. Vanilla.

1998 Mediterranean year with hot and dry summer. September wet, but October dry.
Dark and purple. Closed and very woody. Heavy on the tannins. Hard and not very complex.

1999 Atlantic year. Low yield. Exorbitant prices for grapes.
Lighter and quite pale. Light nose. Luscious, though hard tannins and obvious wood. Great finish. Really good.

2000 Med year. Winter very wet, normal spring followed by a very dry summer.
Very dark and dense. Very ripe nose. Luscious and not quite as tough as other years.

2001 Good year.
Quite purple and deep in colour. Great nose, fruit and spice in alcohol. Chocolates and lots of alcohol.

2002 Difficult year with Atlantic ie wet influence. Wet harvest.
Deep and dark. Not much of a nose. Fine, but disappointing next to the others since just not complex.

2003 Med
Dark and cherry like. Ripe and liquorice. Really disappointing. Dull and alcoholic.

2004 Very dry and good year. Warm days and cool nights. Perfect growing conditions.
Still quite purple. Closed nose. Animal and lovely tannins. Minerals and chocolate. Really very good.

Roda 1 Vertical Tasting 1992-2004