Remirez de Ganuza Reserva 2012 12L

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Winery: Bodegas Remírez de Ganuza

Country / Region: Spain / DO Rioja

Date Winery was established: 1989

Grape Variety: 85% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano 5% Viura & Malvasía

Alcohol Content / Volume: 14,5% / 750ml

First Vintage Released: 1992

Ratings: 95 pts Tim Atkin / 95 pts. Guía Gourmets / 91 pts. CellarTracker

Good to know: One of the founding fathers of modern Rioja winemaking, Remirez de Ganuza's pioneering spirit continues to drive its wine into the future. Since 1989, wave after wave of innovation has cast Remírez de Ganuza as a leading light of the ever-evolving Rioja region.

It began with the careful selection of prime vineyards in the foothills of Sierra Cantabria: Samaniego, Leza, Elciego, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Laguardia and Ábalos. When it comes to grapes, Graciano, Tempranillo, Viura and Malvasía are the key plantings, covering a total of 80 hectares. With an average age of 50 years old, the vines are low-yielding, producing high quality grapes for concentrated yet balanced wines.

In the winery, Remírez de Ganuza brought the question of terroir into a conversation formerly dominated by oak, opting for subtle French oak at a time when Rioja’s barrels were steadfastly American. By reimagining traditional methods, Remírez de Ganuza ushered in a new era of contemporary winemaking. It has paved the way for greater oenological precision alongside sustainable, low-intervention viticulture.

In 1992, on the quest for more meticulous methods, its team fashioned a butcher’s counter into a grape selection table – one of the first in Spain. Like the butcher, Remírez de Ganuza saw that the grape bunch comprises different parts for different purposes.

In an extraordinary move, it began removing the tips of bunches to make younger, carbonic maceration wines such as Erre Punto, and saving the riper shoulders for Reservas or Gran Reservas.

Other inventions include its winepress, which uses an expanding water balloon to gently press and extract the grapes. Or its novel take on bâtonnage, involving the rotation of sealed barrels – thereby preventing oxidation while integrating the lees.

These innovations are milestones in the pursuit of the true Rioja, where terroir comes first and the barrel hones its expression slowly over time. Remírez de Ganuza never rushes to release its bottles, which have become some of the most sought-after among fine wine lovers and collectors.

A bottle of Remírez de Ganuza presents itself as something rare and unique; it’s a wine that has aged patiently behind cool cellar walls – waiting to reveal what Rioja can achieve.