Fernando Remírez de Ganuza - Rioja Olagar Gran Reserva 2018

Fernando Remírez de Ganuza started his winery in 1989 after a career in vineyard real estate. He spent the 1970s and 1980s buying and selling vineyards, mostly in Rioja Alavesa, where he developed an unparalleled knowledge of the region. With about 90 HA under vine in the Catabrian Foothills and an average vine age of 50 years, the attention spent understanding the area pays off in consistently high quality bottlings year after year.

No expense is spared at Remírez de Ganuza to make the greatest wines possible, and modernization has always played a key role. These improvements are now commonplace around the world, including sorting tables and exacting barrel selection, though they weren’t in the early 1990s. Others, like cooling rooms for the grapes and special machines to wash them, are less seen, but remain an important part of Ganuza’s drive towards quality.

Moving into the 21st Century, Remírez de Ganuza continues to focus on precision and dynamism in their wines, with managing partner José Ramón Urtasun invigorating the brand in the mid 2010s. While maintaining their traditional Rioja blends, the winery began dialing in on their vineyards, introducing site-specific bottlings and age worthy white wines. These Blancos, a point of pride for the winery in recent years, focus on specific parcels and utilize new French oak casks, achieving a balanced and contemporary style of White Rioja. With history and past vintages behind them, the library of Remírez de Ganuza has become an additional point of pride with newer vintages being held on the estate for future release. While cutting-edge ingenuity and creativity have been benchmarks for the bodega, a undeniable legacy has been firmly established at Remírez de Ganuza.

The grapes used to make this wine come from a single vineyard, Olagar, planted in 1978 with Viura. This wine is made with 100% Viura variety grapes. Fermentation takes place in new French oak barrels, where the wine remains for around 10 months of ageing. The lees are worked by manually turning the barrels, a system that is used by the winery itself and replaces the traditional bâtonnage.

“Remarkable balance between nutty development, moreish intensity, nuanced fragrance and zesty drive; all elements work in tandem to create a wine that is at once dense and vibrant. Marcona almonds, frangipane, guava, pear and lemon curd mingle on the palate. Creamy on the mid palate but with zesty energy on the attack. Long, umami tail of comté and white truffle. Drinking beautifully now but still with great potential to develop in bottle.” - 97 Points, Decanter 

Producer: Fernando Remírez de Ganuza

Country: Spain

Region: La Rioja

Varietal: Viura

Appellation: Rioja

Vintage: 2018

Size: 750ml