Remelluri Rioja Reserva 2011
Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Remelluri’s vineyards are located along the slopes of the Sierra de Toloño mountains in the valleys of Valderemelluri, La Granja and Villaescusa. The vineyards here are at the highest elevation in the region, south-facing and protected from the prevailing winds and frost. It is the unique microclimate of this area that gives the wines of Remelluri their personality.
Poor, stoney soil with layers of clay help to retain freshness while the Atlantic influence provides abundant rainfall and lower temperatures than there are in the rest of the region. The alternation of cool nights and hot days offers ideal conditions for proper phenolic ripening of Tempranillo.
Organic farming principles have always been utilized to ensure that the wines remain true to this unique terruño. Remelluri also uses an integrated system of agriculture with great respect for the environment. Hedges and plantations are maintained and nurtured. Trees are planted to complement the vineyard; almond, peach, fig and above all olive trees, which also facilitate pollination, as the flowers attract bees.
After years of perfecting his craft and gaining international recognition for his winemaking abilities, Telmo Rodríguez has returned to his family winery. Telmo seeks to remain true to his family estate’s vaunted history while guiding it into a bright tomorrow.
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.
