Remelluri Rioja Blanco 2021 (750ML)

97 WA / 97 JS

The 2021 Blanco is a blend of varieties and places and is the first wine that expresses the special character of the Remelluri property. They used different vinification methods (concrete, foudre, barrique, all with indigenous yeasts), and the backbone here is the origin and not the process. It's not a shy white, showing power (14.14% alcohol) and the freshness of the altitude (605 to 805 meters above sea level) with a low pH (3.24). It comes from vines planted between 1989 and 2012 and is worked organically and biodynamically, with cover crops and horses. It has ripeness, notes of pollen and yellow fruit and a touch of smoke and spice, with a very balanced palate and great purity. It follows the path of elegance and freshness of the 2020, but it was a cooler and healthier vintage (in 2020, they had hail twice), and the wine shows more precision and finishes very clean. Pablo Eguzkiza compared it to 2016. 12,930 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2023.-Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate

Such a precise, flinty nose with seashell, oyster, white sesame, chalk and lime. Textured, broad and long, with bright acidity and a precise, extremely long finish. Serious and gastronomic. A blend of 9 grapes. Drink or hold.—James Suckling