The estate's origins date back to the tenth century when Count Erramel, a Basque warrior and aristocrat from Álava, founded a small village on the site (uri in Basque); hence the name Erramel Uri evolved to Remelluri. The first wines were made here in the fourteenth century when Hieronymite monks tended the monastery atop nearby Sierra de Toloño mountains and founded a sanctuary and farm on the site. The earliest written evidence of wine production dates from the Laguardia village tax records from 1596, noting Remelluri's contribution. The monks later abandoned the area, but local hermits continued to maintain the shrine while the Real Divisa, a local community organization, maintained the farms to accommodate the needs of pilgrims who came to pray at the sanctuary. The estate was eventually split up and sold in the nineteenth century, as were many properties throughout Spain belonging to religious orders.
The modern winery was established in 1967 when Jaime Rodríguez Salís, father of siblings Telmo and Amaia Rodríguez, purchased the vineyards at the heart of the former estate and began to make wine from the ancient, abandoned site. Jaime and his wife Amaia were entrepreneurial, non-conformist intellectuals from Irún, where Jaime was a writer and archeologist and Amaia, a writer and artist. 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.
Telmo Rodríguez (Famed Winemaker) and Amaia Rodríguez Hernandorena (viticulturist), returned to the property and took over the project from their father in 2009. Their return to their family winery marked the beginning of a new era at Remelluri; both a renewal of purpose and a commitment to the process of uncovering and revealing the truth of Remelluri. Telmo's winemaking partner in all of his projects, the prolific Pablo Eguzkiza (trained at Château Petrus), has helped implement numerous changes in the vineyards and winery that can now be seen in recent vintages of Remelluri.
JAMES SUCKLING 95 POINTS - "Lots of ripeness with blackberry, fresh-mushroom, bark and moss undertones. Full-bodied with powerful tannins, yet they have a pretty fruit coating and end with complexity and candidness. Old-vine character."
WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "It's interesting to compare the 2016 Lindes de Remelluri Viñedos de San Vicente de la Sonsierra with the wine from the same year but from the external suppliers from Labastida, as the two wines are produced in the same way after a natural fermentation in small vats and oak casks and matured in a combination of barriques of different origins and aged for 13 months. The grapes from San Vicente usually achieve more ripeness, which is the case in this 2016. It's a little less precise and focused than the Labastida, especially on the nose. There is a little more rusticity on the palate, with some dusty tannins. Again, I think it represents the character of the village."
The modern winery was established in 1967 when Jaime Rodríguez Salís, father of siblings Telmo and Amaia Rodríguez, purchased the vineyards at the heart of the former estate and began to make wine from the ancient, abandoned site. Jaime and his wife Amaia were entrepreneurial, non-conformist intellectuals from Irún, where Jaime was a writer and archeologist and Amaia, a writer and artist. 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.
Telmo Rodríguez (Famed Winemaker) and Amaia Rodríguez Hernandorena (viticulturist), returned to the property and took over the project from their father in 2009. Their return to their family winery marked the beginning of a new era at Remelluri; both a renewal of purpose and a commitment to the process of uncovering and revealing the truth of Remelluri. Telmo's winemaking partner in all of his projects, the prolific Pablo Eguzkiza (trained at Château Petrus), has helped implement numerous changes in the vineyards and winery that can now be seen in recent vintages of Remelluri.
JAMES SUCKLING 95 POINTS - "Lots of ripeness with blackberry, fresh-mushroom, bark and moss undertones. Full-bodied with powerful tannins, yet they have a pretty fruit coating and end with complexity and candidness. Old-vine character."
WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "It's interesting to compare the 2016 Lindes de Remelluri Viñedos de San Vicente de la Sonsierra with the wine from the same year but from the external suppliers from Labastida, as the two wines are produced in the same way after a natural fermentation in small vats and oak casks and matured in a combination of barriques of different origins and aged for 13 months. The grapes from San Vicente usually achieve more ripeness, which is the case in this 2016. It's a little less precise and focused than the Labastida, especially on the nose. There is a little more rusticity on the palate, with some dusty tannins. Again, I think it represents the character of the village."
