Yjar 2020

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. 

"(Rioja DOC; a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Granegro and Rojal; 14% alcohol). Dark berries and black cherries, a little touch of baking spice, but incense too. Graphite. More open-textured at first than Matallana, but the grippy tannins sculpt this drawing the fruit back to the spine and increasing the intensity through the mid-palate. More glacial, sapid and juicy than Matallana, but with considerable density and impact, above all on the finish. Impressive. Very Telmo Rodriguez!" - Colin Hay, The Drink Business (8/31/2024), Ratings: 97

"Focused crystalline raspberry and cranberry fruit character, savoury, plenty of white pepper and fennel spice, intense, powerful, balanced, nuanced and gripping with a drawn out finish, providing more evidence of this compelling wine. 3.8ha of grapes, field blend. Native yeast fermentation, small size open top wooden vats, goblet trained high altitude vineyard, co-planted with massal selection. Foothills of Sierra de Tolono, 600-800m altitude. A challenging vintage that saw early rain and hail followed by a hot and dry summer, required intuition and rapid response - the kind of growing season that great winemakers rise to meet, as Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkiza have done here. Harvest September 30 to October 7." - Jane Anson, (7/01/2024), Ratings: 96

"The nose of the 2020 Yjar developed very floral notes with time in the glass, making it very aromatic, expressive and elegant. This is completely different from the other two reds, as this comes from a specific plot. It reveals the finesse of the marl soils and the austerity of the stones. It was a year of sorting and discarding (they had hail) to achieve the consistency they look for in this wine. The different varieties co-planted in the vineyard fermented together (there's more Garnacha here) in open-top oak vats with indigenous yeasts. The wine matured in foudres and barrels of different sizes for approximately 30 months. It's elegant and clean, with a seamless palate, very fine tannins and a vibrant mouthfeel. 12,656 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2023." - Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate (2/29/2024), Ratings: 96, Drink: 2025-2034