Lindes de Remelluri, Viñedos de San Vicente

And if you thought French wines had long names, here’s a Spaniard to give them a run for their money, Remelluri Lindes de Remelluri Viñedos de San Vicente de la Sonsierra produced by the Granja Nuestra Senora de Remelluri. The winery is on the old site of the Monastery of Toloño of St Jerome, the monks of which grew cereals and vines in the 14th century. There are still a few traces lurking about if you know where to look. And talking of names, Remelluri originated in the tenth century when Count Erramel founded a village (uri) on the site; the name Erramel Uri evolved to Remelluri. The winery is in Rioja Alavesa with Viñedos de San Vicente de la Sonsierra being a selection of 36 vineyard plots occupying a total of 13.95 ha, worked by 11 winegrowers, expressing a variety of soils and orientations ranging from the sandy terrains of the Quaternary Period (2.58 million years ago to now) alongside the Ebro River at 425m, to the poorer, rocky soils, consisting of sandstone and loam from the Tertiary Period (66 million to 2.6 million years ago), rising to as high as 695m. The modern winery was established in 1967 by Jaime Rodriguez Salis, father of Telmo and Amaia Rodriguez. The family was always forward-thinking, with incredible respect for culture, creativity, and craftsmanship. Since then, Remelluri has been devoted to restoring the original, historic vineyards to their fullest potential. Remelluri became the first single-vineyard Rioja of the modern era with its release of the 1971 vintage. One of the keys to the location’s significance is that the vines are planted in terraced amphitheatres following the contours of the mountainside, which shelters them from the harsh weather on the leeward side. The Atlantic influence provides abundant rainfall and much lower temperatures than in the rest of the region, lending incredible acidity and freshness. The fluctuation of cool nights and warm days offers the ideal conditions for proper, long phenolic ripening of the grapes, resulting in Remelluri’s hallmark complex and nuanced aromatics. Telmo, “Rioja’s number 1 terroirist” as Parker calls him, has been a long time favourite of R&H and as always, it is a delight and an honour to carry his wines. Nitty-gritty time: native yeast fermentation in stainless steel prior to 12 months ageing in French oak barrels of varying ages and sizes. This is an accessible wine, open and expressive with dark red and black fruits, some minerality and a touch of mushroomy forest floor. The tannins are polished with a slight sprinkling of chalk leaving a clean, dry finish. This is a definitive terroir-driven wine embodying the spirit of Remelluri and Telmo Rodriguez. As he states, “The future lies in the past”. J. Fox would be jealous.