Yjar 2019

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. 

"I tasted this at the property from barrel, thrilled to follow it now in bottle. Grabs you from the first moments with its sage, thyme, dried flowers and incense aromatics, clings to your nostrils, drawing you in, so much depth of flavour to the vivid raspberry and sour cherry fruits, delicate and yet powerful. Hard to describe how little artifice is conveyed in the glass, it's not a wine that is coated in new oak, instead it is delicate, poised, crafted, utterly gorgeous, so moreish. Harvest October 6 to 18, 3.8ha, old gobelet vines, with any replacements coming from massal selction. Iconic winemaking partnership Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkiza. I hope everyone folllowed my advice from the first vintage to get on board because it is more than living up to its potential, and its tiny quatities means that first come are almost certainly first served." - Jane Anson (7/03/2023), Ratings: 100

"A more fragrant Yjar this year, more peppery and lifted. Chalk, pepper and mezcal-like herbs with hints of cedar and cocoa powder to the blueberries. Super refined tannins tread carefully on the medium- to full-bodied palate with great juiciness and a long, polished finish. An intrinsic expression. Already delicious now, but will hold, too." - James Suckling (8/27/2023), Ratings: 99

"The third vintage by oenologist-winemaker Telmo Rodriguez, the 3.8-hectare, single-vineyard cuvée from the limestone foothills of the Sierra de Toloño in Rioja Alavesa is made from a massal selection of Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha, Granegro and Rojal. A lovely bright pink-red colour in the glass. Supple and succulent, smooth and round, such a lifeforce on show, a step up slightly from last year - clearly so energetic, forward and sleek. This is defined and powerful no doubt, this is packing a punch in terms of intensity this year, focussed and spiced, the heat and oak come through strongly, but it manages to stay the right side of too much, giving direction and force with lashings of cooling minerality, dried herbs and floral touches. A great wine, joyous, bright, enveloping and high toned. It pulls the palate from black and red fruits to toasted spice, cinnamon, vanilla, blackcurrants and kirsch. Complex and compelling, Yjar always leaves a smile on my face wanting to try another glass and this is no exception." - Georgina Hindle, Decanter (9/04/2023), Ratings: 98

"The 2019 Yjar is the third vintage of their top-of-the-range wine designed for the international market and sold through the négociant system of Bordeaux. It was produced with a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and other grapes from 3.8 hectares of selected plots from the Remelluri vineyards, cropped from a challenging year with frost. This feels young but already very Rioja, marked by the Garnacha, which could represent around 30% of the bottled blend. It's tense and has abundant but fine-grained tannins, a little Italian in style. They kept a lower alcoholic degree in 2019, a moderate 14%, and the wine comes through as very elegant. This has to be my favorite vintage of Yjar. It spent 30 months in barrels of different sizes and foudres. 9,049 bottles were filled in June 2022." - Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate (8/31/2023), Ratings: 97, Drink: 2025-2038

"A blend of Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha, Granegro, and Rojal, the 2019 YJAR is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It prances out with fragrant scents of mulberries, kirsch, and blackberry preserves, followed by hints of cracked black pepper, tree bark, and tobacco with a hint of garrigue. The medium-bodied palate delivers wonderfully pure black fruit and mineral flavors with a soft texture and plenty of freshness, finishing long and earthy." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent (8/21/2023), Ratings: 96

"Also from Telmo Rodriguez. Somewhat firm and closed at this nascent stage, but what it does show is its considerable potential. A little candlewax, assorted plum and baked plum fruits on the nose. Pure, focussed and precise on the palate, nicely layered and impressively dense and compact. This I find stronger than last year’s release but it’s very much a vin de garde and will need a good few years in a cool cellar to show of its best. A lot of potential." - Colin Hay, The Drink Business (8/30/2023), Ratings: 96