The 2004 Remelluri is 80% Tempranillo with the balance Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo. Aromas of earthy minerals, forest floor, iodine, and blackberry lead to an elegant, racy Rioja with spicy fruit and enough structure to evolve for 4-6 years. It is a bit lean in the finish but additional cellaring may round it out.
Pairing: Beef, Game Animals, Grilled Red Meats, Roasts, Stews.
In the most northern part of the Rioja Alavesa, with a climate half a way between Mediterranean and Atlantic, it is located Toloño's mountain range. In its foot are placed Valderemelluri's valleys, La Granja and Villaescusa. They are terraces descending towards the Ebro. In this area well... sheltered from the dominant winds and the frosts are the soils of Nuestra Señora de Remelluri estate, 154 hectares of clay-calcareous land, 105 of which constitute its vineyard. With an exceptional micro-climate and a perfect orientation and inclination to the midday. This so peculiar soil provides personality to the wine. Poor, stony soils, with clayey layers that retain the freshness and the dampness. Everything causes ripeness of the fruit with delicacy and balance. The Atlantic climate influence provides abundant rainfalls and a lower average temperature than in the rest of the Denomination.The alternation of fresh nights and warm days offer the ideal conditions for a good phenolic ripeness of the Tempranillo grape. Tempranillo is the dominant vine-stock, autochthonous grapevine of great quality. It produces wines of a great balance and with the right acidity, which makes them very suitable for the aging. Graciano has been also recovered, remarkable vine-stock in the Víalar, located in the Toloño slope, which is its best habitat. The plantation has an average of 30 years, though terraces exist with vine-stocks pre-phyloxeric; the most ancient registered by the Regulatory Council in 1876. In the highest part of the estate, with 700 mts. of altitude, a white wine plantation has been developed with foreign varieties as Rousanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Sauvignon, Chardonay, which together with autochthonous White Garnacha, Muscatel and Malvasía, to produce with this multi-varietal an extraordinarily white wine capable to deserve the highest valuations both nationally and internationally. With the best grapes of our estate Remelluri's wines are elaborated: They are wines with marked personality, fruity, with complex and intense aromas, with mineral nuances and other aromas which remind the balsamic ones. They possess elegant and qualified tannins, surrounded in a sensation of pleasing freshness. Powerful and persistent wines standing out for the balance and length in mouth.
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