Bodegas Roda
Rioja "Roda I" Reserva
Rioja Alta
2019

The producer

Bodegas RODA was established in 1987 in the historic railway district of Haro, at the very heart of Rioja Alta. Founded by Mario Rotllant and Carmen Daurella, RODA brought a fresh, modern approach to one of Spain’s oldest wine regions, focusing on precision viticulture and contemporary winemaking. The estate owns over 70 hectares of old-vine Tempranillo, Graciano, and Garnacha, all dry-farmed and cultivated using sustainable practices. The winery itself is a model of innovation, with temperature-controlled fermentation, extensive use of French oak, and separate vinification of each vineyard parcel. With three flagship wines - RODA, RODA I, and CIRSION - the estate is renowned for crafting elegant, complex, and age-worthy wines that express both varietal character and a strong sense of place.

The wine

Bodegas Roda’s “Roda I” is the estate’s flagship expression of Tempranillo from the oldest vines in Rioja Alta, with small additions of Graciano to enhance freshness and structure. The fruit is sourced from bush vines over 30 years old, grown on limestone-rich soils that lend the wine its signature depth and elegance. Fermentation takes place in large French oak vats using indigenous yeasts, followed by 14–16 months of ageing in French oak barrels (half new, half second use). Roda I is only produced in the best vintages, showing a darker, more brooding style than its sibling “Roda,” with layered black fruit, spice, and graphite, and remarkable ageing potential.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.