Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri

Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri is a former monastery in Rioja Alavesa with a history of wine-growing dating back to the 14th century, and one of the oldest properties in Rioja Alavesa. A mule track through the vineyards leads to the ruins of a mountain monastery abandoned in 1422 after the monks struggled with the harsh mountain climate. The Basque-born businessman Jaime Rodríguez Salís acquired the property in 1967, when his son Telmo was five. The original 15-hectare estate was planted in 1968 by Jaime Rodríguez. In the 1970s, Remelluri and Contino both sought to create self-sustaining Rioja estates in line with Bordeaux's château system, dealing solely with fruit from their own contiguous sites instead of purchasing grapes from across the appellation. Telmo Rodríguez came home to Remelluri in 2010, when his father retired. By then the wines were sourced from the estate's vineyards but also from a number of growers in the area, and his first step was to separate the grapes from the estate from those not from the estate. On his return the estate covered 105 hectares.

• 14th century: wine-growing history at the former monastery of Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri.
• 1967: property acquired by Jaime Rodríguez Salís; 1968: original 15-hectare estate planted.
• 1970s: with Contino, sought to create a self-sustaining estate in line with Bordeaux's château system.
• 2010: Telmo Rodríguez came home when his father retired and separated estate grapes from bought-in grapes.

Remelluri is the Rodríguez family estate, founded by Telmo Rodríguez's father in the late 1960s. As of 2018, Amaia Rodríguez Hernandorena and her brother Telmo Rodríguez ran the estate, and as of 2019 Telmo Rodríguez was its owner and winemaker. Born in 1962 in the Basque Country, Telmo Rodríguez studied biology at the University of Bilbao and then oenology in Bordeaux, and initially joined the family estate in 1989. He went on to create Compañía de Vinos Telmo Rodríguez with business partner Pablo Eguzkiza, a fellow Basque he had met while studying in Bordeaux; in 1998 the two returned to Rioja to create Bodega Lanzaga in Lantziego, a separate project from the family estate.

• Remelluri is the Rodríguez family estate.
• As of 2018: Amaia Rodríguez Hernandorena and Telmo Rodríguez ran the estate; as of 2019 Telmo Rodríguez was owner and winemaker.
• Telmo Rodríguez joined the family estate in 1989 and later founded Compañía de Vinos Telmo Rodríguez with Pablo Eguzkiza.

Remelluri lies in the Rioja Alavesa subregion at elevations between 590 and 805 metres, in the lower foothills of the Sierra de Toloño, and its vineyards are south-facing. Organic farming is practised throughout the estate, and in 2021 the vines had an average age of 40 years. 2010 marked the first year of the estate's final transition to organic viticulture. One plot is planted with over 20 historical varieties, used as a nursery to maintain genetic diversity, and bush training and terraces are being reintroduced. On his return, Telmo Rodríguez identified seven parcels to be transformed from trellised to bush vines, with more plantings of Garnacha and mixed field plantings. In the 2013 vintage, Remelluri was still picking as late as 4 November.

• Rioja Alavesa, 590 to 805 metres, south-facing vineyards in the foothills of the Sierra de Toloño.
• Organic farming throughout the estate; average vine age 40 years (2021).
• A nursery plot of more than 20 historical varieties maintains genetic diversity.
• Bush training and terraces are being reintroduced.

Tempranillo is the main variety in the Remelluri Reserva: the 2013 was 85% Tempranillo, 10% Grenache and 5% Graciano, aged for 21 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels. The Granja Remelluri Gran Reserva 2010 was 75% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 5% Graciano, aged for 26 months in primarily French barriques. The Remelluri Blanco is a field blend: the 2013 combined Viognier, Chardonnay, Roussanne, Marsanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Garnacha Blanca and Moscatel del País, grown at 800 metres and matured in a mix of concrete and oak of different sizes, and was made in tiny quantities. Concrete tanks, oak barrels and large oak vats, some new and some old, are used to age the wines. Lindes de Remelluri (lindes means 'boundaries') takes the grapes Remelluri buys from local growers. For the 2020 vintage it comprised six red wines from growers in Labastida, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Salinillas de Buradón, Rivas de Tereso, Peciña and Abalos, all made in much the same way: fermented in stainless steel and aged for about 10 to 12 months in French oak, with little or no new wood. The 2020 Viñedos de Labastida was 89% Tempranillo, 6% Graciano and 5% Garnacha; the Viñedos de Peciña 75% Tempranillo and 25% Garnacha; and the Viñedos de Rivas de Tereso 57% Tempranillo, 38% Garnacha and 5% field blend.

• Remelluri Reserva 2013: 85% Tempranillo, 10% Grenache, 5% Graciano; 21 months in French and American oak.
• Granja Remelluri Gran Reserva 2010: 75% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 5% Graciano; 26 months in primarily French barriques.
• Remelluri Blanco: field blend grown at 800 metres; certified organic from the 2013 vintage.
• Lindes de Remelluri: grower wines bottled by village or hamlet; six reds in 2020, fermented in stainless steel and aged about 10 to 12 months in French oak.

'I wanted to reflect the real Remelluri,' Telmo Rodríguez said in 2019. On the separation of bought-in fruit he said: 'By cutting out bought-in grapes, reducing yields by 40% and introducing a second wine, I have increased the cost of making Remelluri drastically.' In a 2021 Jancis Robinson article, Richard Hemming MW found the Reserva 'still recognisably Rioja, but with firmer structure and darker fruit reflecting Remelluri's cooler, higher site.' In Decanter, Jane Anson scored the 2013 Blanco 95 points.

No producer website could be read: www.remelluri.com returned a hosting test page and a certificate that does not match the domain (curl, browser pane and fetch tool, 2026-10-14), so no primary source is cited. Secondary sources: Decanter: https://www.decanter.com/premium/interview-telmo-rodriguez-521538/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/opinion/news-blogs-anson/anson-on-thursday-redefining-rioja-terroir-275097, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/telmo-rodriguez-goes-back-to-remelluri-53922/, https://www.decanter.com/premium/exploring-rioja-alavesa-531450/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/spain/northern-spain/remelluri-blanco-rioja-northern-spain-spain-2013-2454/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/spain/northern-spain/remelluri-lindes-de-remelluri-vinedos-de-pecina-rioja-79852/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/spain/northern-spain/remelluri-lindes-de-remelluri-vinedos-de-rivas-de-tereso-79855/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/spain/northern-spain/remelluri-lindes-de-remelluri-vinedos-de-labastida-rioja-79854, https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/spain/northern-spain/remelluri-granja-remelluri-gran-reserva-rioja-gran-67001. Wine Spectator: https://www.winespectator.com/articles/tormented-from-the-grave-47219. Jancis Robinson: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/remelluri-reserva-2013-rioja. GuildSomm: https://www.guildsomm.com/public_content/features/articles/b/bryce-wiatrak/posts/tempranillo-wars. Last verified 2026-10-14.