Gran Reserva 2015

The Gran Reserva 2015 is a dry Rioja of high intensity that brings together power and freshness. Remirez de Ganuza was long known for ripe, fruit-forward, full-bodied red wines; freshness and finesse have since moved more into focus, and this wine shows both sides. The 15.0% ABV is noticeable, yet it never weighs the wine down.

The grapes come from various vineyards in Rioja Alavesa at the foot of the Sierra Cantabria. The estate farms 76 hectares across 246 individual plots in nine municipalities; 70 percent of the vines are over 70 years old. For this cuvée, the average vine age exceeds 60 years. At its heart is the 11-hectare single vineyard Viña Coqueta. The limestone-rich soils shape the wine's mineral thread.

88% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 2% of the white varieties Viura and Malvasia. The Gran Reserva is made from the «Hombros», the more sun-exposed shoulders of the grape clusters; it was for this selection that Fernando Remírez de Ganuza built Spain's first mechanical sorting table in 1989. Aged for 38 months in new French barriques, bottled in April 2019.

The bouquet offers plenty of dark fruit, minerality and subtle spicy oak notes that support the fruit rather than overshadowing it; the nose comes across as young and fresh. On the palate it is round and soft, the texture more velvety than silky, with abundant fine tannins providing structure and grip. The finish is very long, spicy and vibrant, leaving a velvety mouthfeel. Primary, secondary and tertiary aromas sit in impressive balance.

Fernando Remírez de Ganuza (1951–2024) spent twenty years as a vineyard broker in Rioja before founding his own estate in Samaniego in 1989. José Ramón Urtasun has led the house since 2019, while winemaker Jesús Mendoza, with the estate since 1994, was named Rioja's best winemaker in 2024 and 2025.