Yjar (Telmo Rodriguez) Rioja 2021

100 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Grangero, Rojal). An excellent vintage in Rioja, and the promise of Yjar is delivering a totally knockout wine here. Impossible not to smile when tasting this, so much energy and precision, savoury, mouthwatering redcurrant, cranberry, blueberry fruits, with waves of dried herbs, lavender, and crushed rose petals. Juicy, moreish, building in power across the palate. Tasted at the estate and again in Bordeaux. Telmo Rodriguez winemaker of this 3.8ha plot set within his family Remelluri estate in the foothills of the Sierra de Toloño in Rioja Alavesa. Harvest October 14 to 24, fermentation with native yeasts, open top wooden vats. Alcohol 14.5%. Drink: 2027-2040. (7/7/25)"

98 points Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate): "[$178 list] The finest Yjar to date has to be the 2021 Yjar. It's super elegant and aromatic and has more finesse than the Gran Vino, subtler, nuanced and insinuating. It's seamless and balanced, very harmonious, with ripeness, concentration and power but very elegant. It fermented in small oak vats and matured in foudres and barrels of different sizes for 30 months. It has a seamless palate with very elegant and fine tannins, the 2021 signature and very good freshness too. 10,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2024. Drink: 2025-2037. (Feb 2025)"

96 points Joaquín Hidalgo (Vinous): "The 2021 Yjar comes from 3.8 hectares of old vines in Remelluri, Labastida. Comprising Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and others, it aged for about 30 months in foudres and barrels. Classical in style, it features undergrowth, cotton candy, cherry and herbal notes, framed by subtle touches of oak. Broad, juicy and textural, with fine tannins and a gentle balsamic finish, this is a nuanced, refined Rioja that marries tradition with the profound character of the Sonsierra. Drink: 2028-2050. (May 2025)"

96 points Georgina Hindle (Decanter): "(Graciano, Garnacha, Tempranillo). A fabulous Yjar on the Place this year. Fragrant nose, roses and peony flowers, Chinese five spice, cinnamon and exotic spices. Great clarity and focus, juicy and fleshy with a great mouthfeel. A modern take on Rioja but so well defined and delineated. Lovely poised structure, definitely powerful but funnelled into a long finish. Beautiful in all the senses - calm, collected, detailed, easy to drink with plenty of interest and power. I love it. Telmo Rodriguez winemaker. Drinking Window: 2027-2043. (7/7/25)"

96 points Colin Hay (The Drinks Business): "(Rioja DOC; a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Granegro and Rojal; 14.5% alcohol). Very authentic and true to its sense of place, if perhaps a little burly tasted after Matallana - but I rather like that sense of contrast. Black tea and freshly plucked and pounded dark berry fruits – raspberry and mulberry, brambles too. Autumnal, with a sensation of dried leaves too. Some garrigue herbs. A little candlewax. There’s impressive weight, density and concentration here and the oak is already very well integrated. Very long and reassuringly substantial."