Remelluri is one of the most timeless and iconic landscapes of the wine world, as well as one of the most enchanting vineyards in Spain. Firmly anchored in its deep history, which dates 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); hence 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. Today, Remelluri leverages its rich past to illuminate the path forward for not only the future of Rioja but also for world-class, terroir-based fine wines across Spain.
Remelluri became the first single-estate/monopole Rioja of the modern era with its release of the 1971 vintage. Remelluri is currently owned and tended by the Spanish winemaking icon Telmo Rodríguez and his family, with Telmo’s creative partner Pablo Eguzkiza heading up the winemaking team.
Remelluri’s vineyards are located contiguously along the slopes of the Sierra de Toloño mountains, part of the Sierra de Cantabria chain, in the valleys of Valderemelluri, La Granja, and Villaescusa, just above the village of Labastida in Rioja Alavesa. The Remelluri vineyards are at the highest elevation in the Rioja region, with south-facing vines planted between 590 and 805m, protected from the prevailing northern winds and frost. The Remelluri landscape is an integrated system of agriculture with great respect for the environment, which includes certified-organic farming with biodynamic treatments, as well as regenerative and agroforestry elements employed throughout the property to encourage biodiversity and harmony between the vineyard, mountainside, and human elements.
The estate consists of over a hundred and fifty individual plots, all of which are vinified separately. One of the keys to the location’s significance is that the vines are planted in terraced amphitheaters following the contours of the mountainside, which shelters them from the harsh weather on the leeward side. Remelluri is pure mountain Rioja.
Remelluri Reserva is the original wine from Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri, sourced from the most important vineyards consisting of 153 plots in 25 sites at the contiguous property. Only indigenous varieties are used, planted as far back as 1918 through today, averaging 40 years old. The blend consists primarily of goblet-trained tempranillo, garnacha, and graciano varieties with an average yield of 29hl/ha. Only grapes from the estate are used for Remelluri Reserva, farmed organically (certified by ENEEK, the Basque Agricultural Regulatory Council), with the utilization of regenerative and biodynamic farming principles. Remelluri Reserva is made with low intervention, and bottled unfiltered, with minimal sulfur added at bottling.
Vinification
Bunches were hand-selected daily vine-by-vine between October 10 through October 22, placed in small boxes, and taken directly to the winery. Whole clusters were destemmed and crushed and the must was spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts in old, open-top foudres. It was then aged for 30 months in various French oak barrels: one- to five-year-old barrels (225L, 400L, and 500L) and foudres ranging from 1200 to 2000L. The 2015 vintage was bottled without fining or filtration on May 17, 2018, with further bottle aging in the Remelluri cellar until August 2024.
Region
Rioja Alavesa
Appellation
Rioja
Villages
Labastida (Álava) and San Vicente de la Sonsierra (Rioja)
Sites
Doroño, Villaescusa, San Esteban, Cascajo, Portillo
Elevation
680-780m
Grapes
40% Tempranillo / 40% Garnacha / 15% Graciano / 5% other indigenous grapes
Yield
27 HL/ha
Vine Age
Vines planted from 1918, average age of 70 years
Soil
Limestone and calcareous clay with exposed bedrock
Fermentation
Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in large, old barrels
Aging
30 months in one- to five-year-old French oak barrels and foudres, then six years in bottle
Farming
Regenerative, Certified Organic by ENEEK Basque Organic Regulatory Council, Practicing Biodynamic
S02
32mg/L
Fining/Filtration
None
Vegan
Yes
ABV
14%
Pack Size
6x750mL