Yjar 2018

The inaugural 2017 vintage of Yjar is the most hotly anticipated wine of Fall 2021.  Described by critics like James Suckling as “a Rioja stunner,” and Jane Anson as, “a cult wine in the making,” Yjar definitely has people talking.  At Laguna Cellar, we’ve always wanted to bring on a premium Rioja but were waiting for just the right wine to introduce to our clientele.  Wine critic Jane Anson put it best when she recommended Yjar as a “must buy” of 2021 and we couldn’t help but pay attention to this producer that is forcing the whole world to stop and take notice of one of Spain’s most prestigious regions.  Yjar is simply groundbreaking.  It is the first Rioja wine to be distributed through La Place de Bordeaux and is building a long awaited viticultural connection between France and Spain.  A passion project of the legendary Spanish winemaker Telmo Rodríguez of the iconic Rioja producer Remelluri, Yjar hosts a promising future as a wine that could be a true icon from this exalted region. 

Yjar has a distinctive history that dates back to the 1400s.  The vineyards are located at the foothills of Sierra de Toloño, where some of the highest altitude vineyards are planted at a stunning 600-800 meters above sea level.  The property was initially a sanctuary that was managed by Hieronymite Monks in the 1400s.  They tended to the land for several years but eventually abandoned the property.  It was subsequently acquired by the Divisia de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Toloño, a cooperative of sorts who managed the vineyards and farm for five centuries.  The property was once again abandoned in the 1800s after a fire in the Monastery, and it sat uninhabited until the 1960s.  Eventually it was purchased by a Basque family who spent 50 years rehabilitating the vineyards and the estate.  Telmo Rodríguez took interest in the 3.8 hectare estate about ten years ago, and that is when Yjar’s trajectory started to shift in an exciting direction.

Telmo Rodríguez is a world class winemaker whose motto is, “The future lies in the past.” His philosophy is less about reinventing the wheel and more about recovering regions and rediscovering the essence of Rioja.  Telmo Rodríguez studied winemaking in Bordeaux and was mentored by some impressive figureheads within the industry including Bruno Prats, the legendary former owner of Château Cos d’Estournel, and Gérard Chave, the winemaking megastar who owned the second-to-none Hermitage producer his son now helms, Jean Louis Chave.

Yjar is a mixture of old vines of Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha, Granegro and Rojal that are all indigenous to the region.  The vines are selected from the property’s oldest and finest plots, then vinified and aged in French oak barriques for 30 months. Rioja has experienced more than its fair share of ups and downs as a region, and Telmo Rodríguez is determined to prove this appellation is capable of producing world class wines.  So far, he is doing just that with Yjar. 

"The second vintage of the top-of-the-range 2018 Yjar was produced with Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and other grapes from selected plots from Remelluri. It has 14.6% alcohol and a pH of 3.45. This has a more modern profile than the other wines from Remelluri, with more sophisticated tannins, a wine that is different, ripe and powerful, with the depth of the Remelluri wines. It's spicy and peppery, long and chewy with a long finish marked by the limestone from the soils. 5,700 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2021." - Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate (7/14/2022), Ratings: 96+, Drink: 2022-2032

"Such a deep yet complex and sophisticated nose, showing discretion, perfume and finesse. A hint of violet extract to the black cherries, crushed blueberries and cocoa powder aromas, together with Spanish cigars that slowly evolve to truffle, black pepper, incense and freshly chopped herbs. Juicy, yet really composed and dry, with medium to full body and abundant, immaculately fine-grained tannins that unwind evenly on the palate. A style that is restrainedly plush and refined, showing superb precision, cohesion and length, when you give it enough time in your glass. If Las Beatas is the fine Burgundy, then this would be Telmo Rodriguez’s Rioja answer to world-class Bordeaux. Decant it to let the complexity come through. Drink through the next 20 plus years." -James Suckling, Ratings: 100

"Since this wine launched its inaugural vintage last September, I have visited the vineyard, which is tucked in a 3.8ha limestone-dominant corner of the bigger Remelluri estate. You feel the fragrant herbs of the surrounding hills in the wine, breathing proof of terroir into the glass. It means I have tasted this vintage both from barrel at the estate, and now in bottle, and it confirms that this is an extremely special wine. The 2018 is now four years since harvest and still has the raspberry violet blush of a young wine. The fragrance hits you as soon as you wave your nose over the glass, with freshly cut rosemary, sage and tarragon, along with violets, roses, heather, lemongrass and mandarin peel - just so much complexity and nuance. Takes off through the palate, rising through the finish to give a mouthwatering sign off. This was the wine I was most looking forward to trying again for the September Releases, and it does not disappoint." - Jane Anson, Ratings: 98, Drink: 2024-2044