2018 Remelluri Reserva Rioja DOCa

The 2018 Remelluri Reserva Rioja DOCa is the estate's flagship expression, blending fruit from 157 distinct parcels across three small valleys that surround the winery in Labastida. Vines range from twenty to more than ninety years old, planted between 480 and 705 meters on limestone bedrock layered with calcareous clay. This is Rioja built on precision and biodiversity — each plot fermented separately with indigenous yeasts before barrel aging, yielding a wine that reflects the estate's entire topographic and viticultural range rather than a single slope. Remelluri has been organically farmed since the 1990s, and the approach here is resolutely low-intervention. Every grape is hand-selected in the vineyard before fermentation in stainless steel, preserving the expression of each site. The wine then rests for twenty months in a combination of foudres and barrels of various sizes, allowing slow integration without overwhelming oak influence. The estate sits in the Rioja Alavesa, where the cooler Atlantic climate and higher elevations favor freshness and structure over the riper, fleshier profiles common farther south and east in the appellation. The 2018 vintage shows red cherry, dried herbs, tobacco leaf, and a mineral edge that speaks to the calcareous soils. There is grip and energy here — this is Reserva with enough tension to pair with grilled lamb chops, roasted duck, or aged Manchego. Decant it an hour before serving, or cellar it for another five to ten years. It drinks well now but will reward patience. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.