Rioja Reserva Remelluri 2016

Description

The property of Remelluri dates back to the 14th Century, although much older remnants are still in sight. It was founded by monks, who settled on the hillsides of the Mount Toloño (part of Sierra de Cantabria) as it offered natural protection against northern winds and frosts. Vines had always been grown around this magnificent estate, although they were not always part of it, having changed hands a number of times, and today accounting for 95 of its 150 hectares. In 1967, Jaime Rodríguez bought the run-down property, investing a lot of money and effort in restoring the vineyards which are the heart and sould of the property. In 2010 Jaime's son Telmo Rodriguez alongside his sister Amaia, returned to the property with the sole aim of giving Remelluri the reputation it thoroughly deserves. Since Telmo took the reins of the project, the focus has been entirely on the vineyards, which are farmed organically with some biodynamic treatments. His ethos lies purely on respecting the sites that he is fortunate enough to work with, translating them into outstanding terroir-driven wines. Although a number of grape varieties are grown on the hillsides of the Mount Toloño, Telmo focusses on a sense of place rather than the grape variety, and therefore has different grapes to suit each plot. Altitudes of the vineyards range between 550m and 850m above sea level, and the exposition is chiefly south. Soils are a combination of limestone and clay, with some of the more extreme vineyards having pure calcareous rocks on them. A recent development since Telmo took over has been the transition from trellised vines to bush vines, which are much more suited to the meso-climate of the region.

Wines are fermented with native yeasts, each plot is vinified separately, new oak is used very scarcely and the wines are very lightly filtered and fined.

Remelluri Reserva is the flagship of the estate. It is made of mainly Tempranillo, with Garnacha, Graciano, Viura and Malvasía, coming from vines that are between 10 and 90+ years old. It is aged for 17 months in barrel and released after a minimum of three years in the cellar. 

'This is of deep ruby colour, the nose is traditional with hints of coconut and sawdust, black cherry, and almost a hint of mint. This is a classic style, with a medium plus, slightly structured tannin with a  full body all very well integrated and layered.'