2016 Remelluri Reserva Rioja

Winemaker Notes: Remelluri's origins date back to the tenth century when Count Erramel, a Basque warrior and aristocrat from Álava, founded a small village on the site (uri in Basque). Over the years, the name "Erramel Uri" evolved to Remelluri. The first wines were made here in the fourteenth century, when Hieronymite monks tended the monastery atop the nearby Sierra de Toloño mountains and founded a sanctuary and farm on the site. The modern winery was established in 1967 when Jaime Rodríguez Salís and his wife Amaia purchased the vineyards at the heart of the former estate and began to make wine from the ancient, abandoned site. Since then, Remelluri has been devoted to restoring the original, historic vineyards to their fullest potential. Remelluri became the first single-vineyard Rioja of the modern era with its release of the 1971 vintage, staying true to Jamie and Amaia's concepts of terroir and specificity. Jaime's children Telmo and Amaia took over the project from their father in 2009. Their return to their family winery marked the beginning of a new era at Remelluri: both a renewal of purpose, and a commitment to the process of uncovering and revealing the truth of Remelluri. Telmo's winemaking partner in all of his projects, the prolific Pablo Eguzkiza (trained at Château Petrus), has helped implement numerous changes in the vineyards and winery that can now be seen in recent vintages. Organic farming principles have always been utilized here. Chemicals have never been used at the property, and the entire production has been certified organic since the 2014 vintage.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "The estate red 2016 Reserva comes from a late growing season and was produced with local varieties like Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, and others from their 86 hectares of vineyards at 590 to 805 meters in altitude on limestone, sandstone and marl soils. The grapes were picked late with good ripeness and health and fermented with natural yeasts in stainless steel and open-top oak vats and then matured in oak containers of different sizes for 20 to 21 months. These are more classical wines, with a more evolved nose, with high ripeness and some balsamic and medicinal notes. It has a dusty palate with Nebbiolo-like tannins. 300,000 bottles and 8,200 magnums produced. It was bottled in May 2019. 93+"