Tasting note
The Gran Reserva 2015 is the wine for which Remirez de Ganuza was founded in the first place: only the sun-drenched shoulders of the bunches from old vines go into this bottling – a selection concept with which Fernando Remírez de Ganuza transformed Rioja from 1989 onwards. Under José Ramón Urtasun and cellar master Jesús Mendoza, this radical approach is today combined with new, classic virtues: freshness and finesse.
- Colour & appearance
- Dense, luminous ruby red, with the first garnet reflections at the rim – a sign of the long ageing in cask.
- Nose
- Intense, multi-layered and astonishingly youthful: dark fruit such as blackberry and black cherry, beneath it a distinct minerality and finely integrated spice from the wood. Toasty notes, a touch of violet and balsamic hints build layer upon layer.
- Palate
- Astonishingly elegant for 15 per cent: round, soft, more velvety than silky. Noble, densely packed tannins provide grip and length, while the fruit remains present. Opulent yet never heavy – this wine has depth and, at the same time, drinkability.
- Finish
- Very long, vibrant and spicy, with a velvety aftertaste. Primary fruit, cask aromas and the first hints of maturity are held in impressive balance.
- Terroir & origin
- Grapes from several vineyard sites in the Rioja Alavesa at the foot of the Sierra Cantabria. The calcareous soils shape the characteristic minerality; the Tempranillo vines are on average over 60 years old – part of that mosaic of around 80 hectares across 70 individual sites that the bodega cultivates in nine villages.
- Grape variety & vinification
- A classic cuvée of 88% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano as well as 2% white Viura and Malvasia – the latter traditionally lending fragrance and freshness. Ageing for 38 months in new French barriques, bottled in April 2019, vinified dry.
- Food recommendations
- A wine for the festive table: oven-roasted rack of lamb, beef fillet in a herb crust, braised ox shoulder or mature Manchego. Also a first-class choice with duck breast or robust mushroom dishes.
- Special features
- The famous “Hombros contra Puntas” selection: only the shoulders of the bunches – those berries with more sun and ripeness – make it into this Gran Reserva. Incidentally, the 2004 vintage was awarded 100 points by Wine Advocate; the 2015 is in no way inferior to that lineage and at the same time reveals the estate’s new stylistic direction.
Ready to drink right now if decanted – yet its true window opens between 2025 and 2040.
