Granja Remelluri Gran Reserva 2010 ~ Rioja DOC

The story

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; I had the good fortune to meet him in February 2016 and 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 organic.

The wine

Rioja lovers beware; this is an absolutely stunning Gran Reserva from an excellent vintage, 2010.Full tasting notes coming soon but in the interim read what the critics have said including ... "This could very well be the best vintage of Granja so far"

95 points     RobertParker.com     Aug 2016

"I was really blown away by the 2010 Granja Remelluri Gran Reserva, their take on more classical Rioja; Ii is aged in oak for a longer time, but not without having selected grapes from their very best plots that would benefit from the extended élevage. The varietal composition is approximately 75% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 5% Graciano. Like all of the wines here, it is fermented in small stainless steel and oak vats with indigenous yeasts, and then matured in oak barrels for some 26 months. The nose is full of flowers, blood orange, sweet spices, violet pastille and curry. It's very aromatic and perfumed, with the herbs that you find in the Remelluri mountains, rosemary especially. It is extremely attractive, with a nose that makes you go back to it over and over again. This is still very young, but terribly balanced. The tannins are refined and there is a fine thread of acidity going through its core and lifting it up. This could very well be the best vintage of Granja so far. And having seen the improvements in the vineyards, my feeling is that the best is yet to come."

“Bright cherry red. Fine, ripe but very fresh cherry fruit. Terrific freshness and that characteristic dry finesse. Super-fine tannins, quite a grip but beautifully balanced. Finesse and elegance with the oak very much in the background. Juicy even though the texture is dry.”