93+ Wine Advocate
Drink Dates:2022 – 2028
The estate red 2016 Reserva comes from a late growing season and was produced with local varieties like Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and others from their 86 hectares of vineyards at 590 to 805 meters in altitude on limestone, sandstone and marl soils. The grapes were picked late with good ripeness and health and fermented with natural yeasts in stainless steel and open-top oak vats and then matured in oak containers of different sizes for 20 to 21 months. These are more classical wines, with a more evolved nose, with high ripeness and some balsamic and medicinal notes. It has a dusty palate with Nebbiolo-like tannins. 300,000 bottles and 8,200 magnums produced. It was bottled in May 2019. Reviewed by: Luis Gutirrez, publishedJul 14, 2022

Winemaking Bunches were hand-selected between October 15 until November 2, 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 stainless steel tanks and old, open-top foudres. The wine was aged for 21 months in foudres and barrels of various sizes, clarified with gelatin and bottled unfiltered from April 15 to May 10, 2019. Remelluri Reserva is aged in bottle for five years in the Remelluri cellar before release to the market.

• Villages:Labastida (lava) and San Vicente de la Sonsierra (Rioja)

• Site:Villaescusa, Valderemelluri, El Fustal, El Rincn, Vadegar, Cisqueros, Ruancho, and Valpardillo

• Elevation:590-805m

• Grapes:83%Tempranillo / 10% Garnacha / 7% Graciano

• Yield:29 HL/HA

• Vine Age:Vines planted from 1918 to presentaverage age of 40 years

• Soil:Calcareous clay soils over limestone, with sandstone marls of Tertiary origin

• Vinification:Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and old foudres

• Aging:21 months in foudres and barrels of various sizes, followed by five years in bottle

• Farming:Regenerative Farming, Certified Organic by ENEEK Basque Organic Regulatory Council, Practicing Biodynamic

• SO2:45mg/L total

• Filtration:None, clarified with egg whites

Vintage 2016 was an outstanding Remelluri vintage, at the very top end of the scale, with many comparisons to stellar vintages like 2004 and 2010. 2016 Reserva is classically-styled, offering the best of everything: balance and freshness paired with beautiful phenolics and silky tannins, backed by moderate alcohol levels. 2016 Remelluri Reserva is built to age and improve for decades, certainly one of the very best vintages of the decade, with similar excellence expected from the upcoming 2019 and 2020.

The 2016 vintage at Remelluri began with a late vegetative cycle with slow budding due to a very mild winter and a cold spring with lots of rain that replenished water reserves. Late flowering and a good fruit set resulted in both optimal quantity and quality of grapes. Late summer was warm and dry with veraison beginning in mid-August and continuing through mid-September. Harvest was characterized by a delayed ripening period, as well as by its prolonged duration. Fall was quite warm with more rainfall in September, which further encouraged freshness, and wide temperature differences between day and night that helped to complete the ripening process. Grapes were hand-harvested parcel by parcel, beginning October 15 and lasting until November 2. The result of the 2016 vintage was an outstanding harvest in terms of health of the grapes and phenolic ripeness paired with lively acidity, delivering an exciting, high-quality vintage that will be a classic Remelluri for decades to come.