Remírez de Ganuza: complex, elegant, balanced wines in the heart of the Rioja Alavesa region
Remírez de Ganuza: complex, elegant, balanced wines in the heart of the Rioja Alavesa region
Remírez de Ganuza Winery, founded in 1989 in Samaniego, has been known since its inception for revolutionizing some of the traditional methods used in the Rioja Alavesa wine region by introducing improvements in both the vineyard and the winemaking process.
Currently, the winery has 70 estates (with more than 200 plots of vineyards) distributed over nine municipalities in the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria Mountain Range: Labastida, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Ábalos, Samaniego, Leza, Elciego, Navaridas, Laguardia, and Elvillar/Bilar. These 80 hectares of vineyards, with an average age of 60 years and low yields, are always harvested by hand. The first selection of grapes takes place in the field, as each harvester works with two containers: a basket where they put the bunches that are later sold to other wineries and a box where they put 12 kg of grapes destined for Remírez de Ganuza wines.
Once at the winery, the bunches are left to rest for 24 hours at a controlled temperature before passing through the selection belt – one of the first of its kind in Spain. There, once again, the best grape is chosen. One of Remírez de Ganuza’s most notable systems is the one they introduced for separating the Tempranillo clusters into two: the shoulders, with perfect phenolic properties, are used for wines that are aged longer and have greater potential for being kept over time under conditions of quality (Reserva, Gran Reserva, María Reserva Especial, and Trasnocho), while the tips are used for young wines produced with carbonic maceration (Erre Punto Tinto).
Aging takes place in new oak barrels, mainly French. No bottle of Remírez de Ganuza is released on the market without having been kept for an extensive period in the wine cellar: only time allows the wine to develop the characteristics and style that this producer is looking for.
The result? Complex, elegant, balanced wines with excellent aging potential and which increase in value year after year. Bottles from their collection are rare and desired by sommeliers around the world. Some examples of this are their emblematic Gran Reserva 1994, whose average international price increased 380% between 2017 and 2020, the iconic Reserva 2004, which got 100 Parker Points, as well as their Reserva 2006, chosen as the best Rioja wine in 2020 by the magazine The Drinks Business.
In addition to their two flagship products, the Remírez de Ganuza Reserva and Gran Reserva, they produce Trasnocho, a press wine made using a system developed and patented by the winery. Through a large “balloon” filled with water that is put into the maceration tank when only the skins from the Remírez de Ganuza Reserva production process are left, they manage to extract some 9,000 bottles of Trasnocho without oxidation or friction. The name, which can be loosely translated as “overnight,” comes from the ancient Riojan tradition of letting the wine that had been stomped during the day gently drain, drop by drop, throughout the night, without pressure and without rubbing the skins or seeds. Thus, Remírez de Ganuza Trasnocho is a wine with a great structure, round and tasty, with black fruits and spices.
Viña Coqueta is a Reserva from a single vineyard located in Samaniego, planted in 1975. María, with around 1,000 bottles a year being produced, is a selection of the best Remírez de Ganuza Reserva barrels – and all its profits are used for charitable purposes.
They also produce two white wines: Remírez de Ganuza Blanco Reserva and Remírez de Ganuza Blanco Gran Reserva Olagar. The latter came onto the market for the first time in 2021, with the 2013 vintage. It is made with 100% Viura grapes and comes from a single vineyard. This vineyard (Olagar) was planted in 1978 with local varieties and it is trained in the traditional bush vine system. Located in San Vicente de la Sonsierra at an altitude of 600 m, it covers an area of 1.45 hectares and has perfect orientation, with shallow soils that help curb the plants’ vitality.
The white grape skins that are yielded when making the white wines are used in the production of Remírez de Ganuza Reserva and Gran Reserva. By adding white grape skins to the red grape fermentation tank, they achieve greater color stability and better aging potential.
Lovers of good wine should not miss the opportunity to visit this idyllic winery located in the center of Samaniego. Once there, they can discover the many innovations applied by this producer, who is clearly committed to valuing the harvest and the processes of grape selection and winemaking – a wine that definitely gets better with age.
Remírez de Ganuza
Calle Constitución 1, Samaniego.
Tel.: +34 945 609 022
