Yjar, jewel of La Rioja
Telmo Rodríguez is a key figure in the world of Spanish wine. Winemaker, oenologist and pioneer in rediscovering great terroirs, his work is recognised the world over. Here, Telmo Rodríguez presents the 2019 vintage of his Yjar wine and talks to Esther Degorce-Dumas, Business Development Director at Twins, about how this major project was born.
Telmo Rodríguez and the Rioja revival
Looking back, Telmo Rodríguez considers that he was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. The Basque winemaker remembers that before his generation, “the world of wine in Spain had become fairly industrial and generic“. Led by new enthusiasts, Spain has rediscovered its heritage and woken up to the fact that the country is home to “incredible vines“. After more than 30 years’ training in Bordeaux and France, Telmo Rodríguez returned to Spain and became part of this movement, discovering “great wines” in his own country.
“After becoming completely fascinated by the great terroirs of France, I went home and found some fascinating terroirs in Spain. And the lucky thing for me was that they had been abandoned. It was a bit like coming upon a closed museum, opening the doors and finding exceptional artworks inside“.
Telmo Rodríguez, winemaker and oenologist
On these terroirs, Telmo Rodríguez has become interested in native grape varieties and preserving them through massal selection. The winemaker emphasizes that Spain has a wealth of different varieties that is often underestimated: “Spain has treasures that few people know about, we have hundreds of grape varieties”. In a world dominated by only a handful of varieties, Telmo Rodríguez believes that Spanish diversity will become a major factor in winning over those who enjoy discovering new pleasures.”The smallest vineyard here has 40 grape varieties,” he says. For Yjar, Telmo Rodríguez used grapes from five native varieties: Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, Grand Noir, Rojal and Tempranillo.
Yjar, jewel of La Rioja
Telmo Rodríguez’s aim to place Spanish wines back in the limelight took shape at the heart of his family estate, where he found a rare treasure. In his youth, he had already noticed a particularly interesting plot of land. Years later, armed with his experience, the winemaker returned to Remelluri, with the idea of “revealing the estate’s hidden gem“.
In-depth studies of mountainous soils followed, to identify “3.8 very special hectares” on limestone soils, with a high concentration of carbonates and scree slopes. In this place full of history, home to a 14th-century monastery, Telmo Rodríguez and his team began to develop their idea for a wine. This wine became Yjar, whose first vintage went on sale in 2017. Esther Degorce-Dumas, Business Development Director at Twins, considers it a “great discovery. With the third vintage, we are really starting to feel Yjar’s personality,” she says. A finely chiselled wine, with a beautiful fruity nose, refined tannins, a hint of tension and a lingering finish.
The first Spanish wine distributed by Bordeaux wine merchants
For Yjar, Telmo Rodríguez chose to entrust the exclusive distribution rights to Place de Bordeaux. Among the small group of merchants selected was Twins, which Esther Degorce-Dumas describes as “a great joy“. Yjar is the first Spanish wine to take this path. For the Basque winemaker, the choice was an obvious one. First of all, it’s a nod to his professional career:
“My eyes were opened in Bordeaux in the 1980s and I thought it was a very nice way to return to Bordeaux, to thank Bordeaux“.
In addition, Rioja wines have a long history in close connection with that of Bordeaux vineyards. In the village of Labastida, a Médoc-style wine was produced at the end of the 18th century. Techniques and know-how from Bordeaux have been successfully reproduced there, such as grape sorting, harvesting when ripe and staggering the harvest according to the plots’ level of exposure.
“The history of La Rioja is closely linked to the history of Bordeaux. Since 1700, we’ve always had our eyes on Bordeaux, but Bordeaux never looked at us. I had to go to Bordeaux to tell my friends: ‘Well, you never noticed us before, but now you have an opportunity to do something with us’”.
Telmo Rodríguez, winemaker and oenologist
Telmo Rodríguez concludes with a smile: “It’s a grand vin. I never dared to say that before, but when you taste it, we can say that Yjar isa grand vin“.
Suggested food and wine pairing with Yjar 2019, by Chef Arthur Leprevost:
Smoked veal fillet, black truffle, salsify, jus, mushroom emulsion and cocoa powder.
