September 17, 2025
Double 100 Pointed Yjar Rioja 2021
2021 Yjar- Double 100 Pointed Vintage
100 Points - Jane Anson
“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”
Telmo Rodríguez’s Yjar was the first Spanish wine to be released on the La Place de Bordeaux system, highlighting a significant milestone for Spanish wine in the world of fine wine.
Having learned his craft at Pétrus and Cos d’Estournel, Rodríguez is arguably one of Spain's greatest winemakers. He sparked a renaissance by making wines that showcase Rioja’s distinctive terroir, rather than masking the grape’s qualities with layers of American oak.
Yjar is crafted from a single 3.8-hectare vineyard located in the limestone-rich foothills of Rioja Alavesa. Yjar’s vineyard history stretches back to the 1400s, situated at 600-800 meters above sea level on the foothills of Sierra de Toloño. Originally maintained by Hieronymite monks, the estate later fell into the hands of the Divisia de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Toloño, who managed it for five centuries. After being abandoned following a fire in the 1800s, the property lay dormant until the 1960s, when a Basque family began its restoration. Telmo Rodríguez acquired the 3.8-hectare estate about a decade ago, marking the beginning of Yjar’s exciting new chapter. This specific plot benefits from the region's unique terroir, with its well-drained, mineral-laden soils contributing to the wine’s distinctive character.
Telmo Rodriguez’s YJAR 2021 is a landmark Rioja, earning perfect 100-point scores from leading critics. The wine bursts with energy and precision, showing redcurrant, cranberry and blueberry alongside notes of herbs, violets and crushed rose petals. Fermented with native yeasts in wooden vats and aged 30 months in foudres and barrels, it balances finesse, depth and vibrancy. Stylish, polished and beautifully persistent, YJAR 2021 captures Rioja’s heritage with a truly modern elegance.
Released this morning, we are offering an introductory special price of €99 In Bond per bottle. Both single bottles and cases of 3x75cl are available to order now on our website.
With only a small amount of the 2021 vintage available, Rioja enthusiasts should seize the opportunity to add these remarkable wines to their collection before they’re gone.
Telmo Rodriguez YJAR Rioja 2021
100 Points | Jane Anson
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.
100 Points | James Suckling
Crushed dark berries are complemented by violets and underbrush with a gentle touch of tobacco. The sophisticated palate shows exceptional definition and polished tannins that are seamlessly integrated into a core of vibrant, restrained fruit. It’s all held together by a linear freshness characteristic of the vintage. This wine has depth, persistence and an incredibly stylish profile. Firm yet with an underlying tenderness. Beautiful now but will continue to evolve. Drink or hold.
98 Points | Wine Advocate, Luis Gutiérrez
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.
96 Points | Decanter, Georgina Hindle
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.