2016 Remelluri "Lindes de Remelluri Viñedos de Labastida" Rioja

I have to say, the moment I saw this bottle land in the shop I was totally intrigued. Remulluri is one of those names in Spanish wine that, when uttered out loud, makes the room go quiet. From the first moment I dive into the glass, there's crushed stone, tobacco leaf, and deep black cherry note. On the palate, there's excellent density and concentration. Perhaps not roaring, full-bodied Rioja but sits perfectly within its frame. A hint of sweet fruit on the back end along with a quick crunch of tannins shows the craftmanship on display here. Unmistakably old-world but with modernist touches of clean fruit, this is one of the best Riojas I've had in the last year. Easily.

I have always had a fondness for the Remelluri wines. They have a way of displaying the truest expressions of mountain fruit along with the specificity of the unique terroir. In this vintage, there is purity along with structure that certainly leans towards the aging potential for this wine. The initial invitation on the nose brings up wild alpine herbs you would smell on a hiking trail, followed by sun-kissed black and red wild berries and ethnic spices. The texture is more than mouth-filling, fancying more on the side of silky with a medium-bodied backbone. It was very enjoyable with a chicken and almond tajin and summer vegetables.

There is a fruit tone in this wine that smashes the buttons to the pleasure centers in my brain. It is red fruited, but it is hard to pin down. It is not cherry, not pomegranate, not açai berry, but it has the easiness of the cherry and flirts with the concentration of pomegranate and that earthy, tart edge of aç​ai. However I try to describe it, it tastes and finishes like Rioja from the Alavesa subzone, which is exactly what this is. The Lindes de Remelluri is a product line that started when Telmo Rodriguez came back to make wine at his family's estate. He wanted the flagship Reserva to only be made with their own fruit, but they had contracts with many local farmers who had been supplying them with great fruit for their flagship wine for years. You don't just give up organic and ecologically grown fruit. You start something new. He created two bottlings to highlight the terroir of two of the most famous villages in Alavesa, Labastida and San Vicente. The Labastida is located closer to the mountains where the soils have limestone and calcareous clays, and the wines from here are more aromatic, structured, and have that limestone energy. That is exactly what this wine delivers. You will notice that the wine has no classification for its aging in the cellar. It has spent 12 months in French oak of various ages and sizes. They want the classification of this wine to be done by region and village, rather than time in oak and bottle. That being said, this wine drinks almost like a Reserva. It is intense, with good tannins and well-integrated oak. This wine feels like a Reserva, but it does not smell or taste like a traditional oaky Reserva. This is Rioja Alavesa, from Labastida! An incredible bottle of wine that gets better the longer that you have it opened, and with an exceptional vintage like the 2016 it will age nicely for at least another 10 years. Please give this a good decant, as your patience will be greatly rewarded.

The wines of Remelluri always come accross as very well made. This was always the aim when the winery was founded, to make a modern, more polished version of Rioja where quality is paramount. This wine comes from vineyards around the village of Labastida, at higher elevations over 500m which results in a later harvest and fruit with higher levels of acid. This brightly colored wine has notes of tobacco leaf and leather on the nose with plum and cherries on the palate. Spices such as wild thyme and rosemary in the background. There is a really nice texture to the wine, silky and refined, with plenty of acid on the finish making the wine quite light on its feet despite the presence of ripe fruit. Tannins are present but are quite soft and continue to soften with air. It paired really well with some marinated lamb chops. I imagine this wine could age for at least 5 years and probably quite a bit longer. 95% Tempranillo and 5% Garnacha from 25-80 year old vines. Tremendous value!