Tasting Notes
Rioja is one of two wine regions with Spain's highest qualification level, DOC or DoCa, the other region being Priorat. There is so much Rioja on the UK market and much of it over-priced, overly sweet and over-oaked because that became the trend from the turn of the century. But there is a danger of the DOC qualification being devalued.
There is now a new wave of winemakers fighting back against the commercial style of Rioja and Telmo Rodriguez is at the forefront; the first time I met him, in February 2016, he told me that Rioja should not be a "recipe", that there is fortunately no longer one style of Rioja as modern winemakers like him focus on the fruit, the 'terroir' and more traditional methods. Telmo has been described by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate as "Rioja's number one Terroirist".
In this wine from old vines on the Remelluri estate owned by Telmo & his sister Amaia, Tempranillo grape is blended with a little Graciano and Garnacha (Grenache); minimal intervention is practised and the wine is certified organic.
Rioja lovers beware; this is an absolutely stunning Gran Reserva from an excellent vintage, 2011. Read what the critics have said ...
Food Pairing
Recommended to drink with game, duck, goose, steak and other red meats, poultry, cheese, charcuterie and paella
Producer's Notes
"Expressive nose with aromas of dark cherries, dark plums, liquorice, vanilla and cedar. It is full-bodied yet elegant on the palate, with a significant but round tannic structure, a wealth of concentration and a complex lingering finish."
Awards
95 points Wine Enthusiast Dec 2017
"Alluring aromas of tree bark, licorice root, rose petal and ripe black fruit show elegance. This is a touch grippy and young in feel, but overall it's showing balance. Deep flavors of plum, cherry, wild berry and vanilla finish finessed by a balance of weight and acidity."
94 points RobertParker.com Feb 2018
""Very consistent with the style of the very dry, warm and ripe year, the 2011 Granja Remelluri Gran Reserva had a powerful personality, with darker fruit and some earthy sensations, very Mediterranean, with plenty of rosemary aromas. It has the rugged tannin nicely polished and fine-grained, more elegant than what was produced in the 1990s. They now use the fruit from the older Garnacha vines in Remelluri, selecting the plots that have the soils with the most potential. They are still in search of their best plots, not necessarily those with older vines but the ones with the most potential of the soil."
18 points JancisRobinson.com Feb 2019
“Dark cherry colour. As well as the fresher fruit of the 2010, here there is more sign of the origin – more rocky and mineral with a slight dusty note over the fruit. Less sweet-fruited on the nose. Incredibly fine tannins, beautifully dry and succulent. Needs more time to show its complexity but it’s all in harmony for a long future.”
Telmo Rodriguez [who owns Remelluri with his sister Amaia] is one of Tim Atkin's top 10 Rioja producers Decanter Mar 2018
