2020 Blanco, Remelluri, Rioja, Spain
Critics reviews
The exceptional 2020 Blanco is from vines between 605 and 805 meters above sea level that were harvested over multiple passes after one episode of hail. This vintage had a slow fermentation, and it feels like a year of finesse and elegance. The wine has fluidity, elegance but also intensity, depth and very pure flavors, with a very saline finish, super tasty. This could very well be the finest vintage for the white... It's not a shy wine, with 14.2% alcohol and a low pH of 3.3, denoting very good freshness. 9,969 bottles were filled in June 2022 from almost 10 hectares of vineyards.
Drink 2023 - 2032
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate (July 2023)
Flinty nose with effusive minerals, crushed stones and chalk. Salted lemons, fine lees and a hint of sour cream. Really bright and expressive, yet intense. Superb energy and length here. Long, mouthwatering finish. Goes on and on. Lots of purity, too. Drink now or hold.
Zekun Shuai, JamesSuckling.com (November 2023)
About this WINE
La Granja Ntra. Sra. de Remelluri
La Granja Ntra. Sra. de Remelluri, often referred to as Remelluri, is a historic wine producer in northern Spain’s Rioja wine region. Founded in the 14th century, it is one of the oldest wine estates in the Rioja region and is known for producing high-quality, terroir-driven wines. It was originally a monastery, and winemaking traditions have been passed down through generations. The estate was revitalised and modernised in the late 20th century under the guidance of Telmo Rodríguez, a prominent Spanish winemaker.
Remelluri places a strong emphasis on organic and biodynamic farming practices, emphasising the importance of the vineyard’s natural environment in shaping the wine’s characteristics.
Both red and white wines are produced at the winery. The reds are typically made from a blend of traditional Rioja grape varieties, including Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, and others. The whites are often crafted from Viura and Malvasia grapes.
Remelluri offers a range of wines, including their flagship, “Remelluri Reserva,” which is highly regarded for its complexity and ageing potential. They also produce single-vineyard and limited-production wines that showcase the diversity of their terroir.
Rioja
Rioja is known primarily for its reds although it also makes white wines from the Viura and Malvasia grapes and rosés mainly from Garnacha. Most wineries (bodegas) have their own distinct red wine formula, but are normally a combination of Tempranillo, Garnacha and sometimes Graciano. Other red varieties recently approved into the Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) regulations are the little-known Maturana Tinta, Maturana Parda, and Monastel (not to be confused with Monastrell). The most important of these by far is the king of native Spanish varieties, Tempranillo, which imbues the wines with complex and concentrated fruit flavours.
The Garnacha, meanwhile, bestows its wines with warm, ripe fruit and adds an alcohol punch. Graciano is an améliorateur grape (one that is added, often in small proportions, to add a little something to the final blend) and is found mainly in Reserva and Gran Reserva wines, albeit in small quantities (two to five percent), adding freshness and aroma, and enhancing the wines' ageing potential.
Crianza wines are aged for one year in oak followed by maturation for one year in bottle before being released for sale. Reservas must undergo a minimum of three years’ ageing before release, at least one of which should be in oak casks. Finally, Gran Reservas, which are only produced in the finest vintages, must spend at least five years maturing, of which at least two must be in oak.
Geographically, Rioja is divided in to three districts: Alavesa, Alta and Baja. Rioja Alavesa lies in the northwest of the La Rioja region in the Basque province of Álava. Along with Rioja Alta, it is the heartland of the Tempranillo grape. Rioja Alta, to the north-west and south of the Ebro River in the province of La Rioja, stretches as far as the city of Logroño. Elegance and poise is the hallmark of wines made here with Rioja Alta Tempranillo. Mazuelo (Carignan) is occasionally added to wines from this area to provide tannins and colour. Rioja Baja, located to the south-east, is the hottest of the three districts and specialises in Garnacha.
Rioja has witnessed a broad stylistic evolution over the years. The classic Riojas pioneered by Murrieta and Riscal in the 19thcentury were distinguished by long oak-barrel-ageing whereas the modern style, represented by Marqués de Cáceres since 1970, showcases the fruit and freshness of Tempranillo, keeping oak ageing to the legal minimum. The post-modern school that emerged in the late 1990s from producers like Palacios Remondo and Finca Allende concentrate on making wines from old vines or specific vineyard plots to accentuate the terroir, and using larger proportions of minority varietals such as Graciano.
The alta expression wines, pioneered by Finca Allende (among others) and later taken up by almost every other producer in Rioja, represent the newest flagship category in Rioja. Alongside the traditional Gran Reservas, alta expression wines are limited production and come from low-yielding vines, often from a single vineyard, and are hand-picked. Excellent examples of this style are Artadi's Pagos Viejos and El Pison.
However, modernisation has not held back the continuation of successful traditional styles as well. Happily long-established houses such La Rioja Alta, CVNE and Marques de Vargas continue to make graceful, old style wines better than ever before.
White Rioja is typically produced by the Viura grape which must comprise at least 51 percent of the blend; the rest can be made up by other, recently-authorised varieties, namely Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Verdejo, as well as the native Maturana Blanca, Tempranillo Blanco, and Turruntés (not to be mistaken for Torrontés).
Recommended Producers:
Finca Allende, Amezola de la Mora, Artadi, CVNE, Marqués de Vargas, Palacios Remondo, La Rioja Alta, Murrieta.
Viognier
A white grape variety originating in the Northern Rhône and which in the last ten years has been increasingly planted in the Southern Rhône and the Languedoc.
It is a poor-yielding grape that is notoriously fickle to grow, being susceptible to a whole gamut of pests and diseases. Crucially it must be picked at optimum ripeness - if harvested too early and under-ripe the resulting wine can be thin, dilute and unbalanced, while if picked too late then the wine will lack the grape's distinctive peach and honeysuckle aroma. It is most successfully grown in the tiny appellations of Château-Grillet and Condrieu where it thrives on the distinctive arzelle granite-rich soils. It is also grown in Côte Rôtie where it lends aromatic richness to the wines when blended with Syrah.
Viognier has been on the charge in the Southern Rhône and the Languedoc throughout the 1990s and is now a key component of many white Côtes du Rhône. In Languedoc and Rousillon it is increasingly being bottled unblended and with notable success with richly fragrant wines redolent of overripe apricots and peaches and selling at a fraction of the price of their Northern Rhône cousins.
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Description
The exceptional 2020 Blanco is from vines between 605 and 805 meters above sea level that were harvested over multiple passes after one episode of hail. This vintage had a slow fermentation, and it feels like a year of finesse and elegance. The wine has fluidity, elegance but also intensity, depth and very pure flavors, with a very saline finish, super tasty. This could very well be the finest vintage for the white... It's not a shy wine, with 14.2% alcohol and a low pH of 3.3, denoting very good freshness. 9,969 bottles were filled in June 2022 from almost 10 hectares of vineyards.
Drink 2023 - 2032
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate (July 2023)
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