YJAR, La Bastida de Alava, Rioja, 2017

Decanter – 97 Points

The new wine by oenologist-winemaker Telmo Rodriguez, was definitely one of the wines of the tasting. It is a 3.8-hectare, single-vineyard cuvée from the limestone foothills of the Sierra de Toloño in Rioja Alavesa and made from a massal selection of Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha, Granegro and Rojal. A gorgeously dense and rich nose, concentrated and a balanced combination of perfumed elements, fruit and spices – cherries, ripe plums and liquorice. Tannins gently settle on the tongue but the flavours are impactful and so precise. It’s a bold wine but seriously defined and charming, super fresh and elegant. And you really feel the limestone terroir in the clarity and cleanliness of flavour. Superb. (GH)(7/2021)

James Suckling – 97 Points

Very ripe red with plums, figs, dark chocolate, walnuts and cloves. Full-bodied with round and layered tannins that show ripeness and intensity. Fruit-forward, but formed and powerful. Plush and high-toned. Savory finish. From 3.8 hectares of vineyards. It’s a field blend of tempranillo, graciano, garnacha, granegro and rojal. Shows the ripeness of the vintage with structure and freshness. Crazy wine. Outstanding first bottling of this wine (8/2021)

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 96 Points

The new top-of-the-range is the 2017 Yjar, a difficult name in most languages, selected because the property used to be managed by the Duque de Híjar—this is just a different spelling. It’s a red produced with Tempranillo and a significant amount of Garnacha grapes from selected soils from Remelluri. It’s a wine that transcends the vintage, with spicy notes, a complex and changing nose, really harmonious, serious, with super sleek tannins, seamless with a polished mouthfeel with a chalky finish. This is a separate project and with a different style from Remelluri (closer, perhaps, to the style of the personal wines from Telmo Rodríguez. It’s a wine that will be sold through the Place de Bordeaux, the result of their understanding of the soils from the property, something they knew empirically but for which they now have a more scientific explanation. It feels younger and less developed than the classical wines from Remelluri. It matured mostly in foudre, and there is no trace of oak; the wine feels very young, clean and modern. (LG) (8/2021)