Telmo Rodríguez

In 1994, Telmo Rodríguez and his partner Pablo Eguzkiza produced the first wine of the Compañía de Vinos Telmo Rodríguez winery in the village of Sada, Navarra. From the outset, the project was focused on producing terroir-driven wines with local varieties with the aim of highlighting the specific character of each wine region.

A year later, the company began its ongoing journey across the Spanish wine geography. In Arribes del Duero Mr. Rodríguez rediscovered the delicate Juan García variety, in DO Rueda he produced El Transistor Verdejo and Basa, two of the first quality Verdejo wines, and in the Málaga mountains he brought back the tradition of the high-altitude Muscat wines from old vines.

In the late 1990s, Mr. Rodríguez went back to his roots in La Rioja and started a project in DO Ribera del Duero that was to become the origin of the red wine Matallana, one of his most celebrated creations. Besides, he produced his first wines in DO Toro and pioneered the recovery of the world-class Grenache vineyards of Sierra de Gredos, an area that had been ignored for many decades before before Mr. Rodríguez draw attention to it.

In the early XXIth century, the Compañía de Vinos Telmo Rodríguez winery ventured into Valdeorras, Galicia, where it recovered local varieties, got some old vineyards into shape and started to make wine using forgotten traditional techniques. The company also built its headquarters in Lanciego, La Rioja, and released the first vintage of its flaghsip wine, Las Beatas, a field blend red wine sourced from an exceptional plot whose 2015 vintage was given a perfect 100-point Parker score.

After thirty years of steady work, the Compañía de Vinos Telmo Rodríguez winery is currently responsible for 80 hectares of vineyards, divided into 355 small parcels containing 43 different grape varieties.

As regards the winemaking style, the wines of Telmo Rodríguez are precise, balanced and site specific. Wood is used with restraint, always as a means to enhance terroir expression.

• Year of foundation: 1994
• Address: Monte, s/n
• City: Lanciego
  
• Province: Álava
• Zip code: 01308
  
• Country: España
• Teléfono: 34 945 628 315
  
• www.telmorodriguez.com
• Guided visits? No
• Wine tourism services? No

Designation of origin:

Arribes, Rueda, Málaga-Sierras de Málaga, Ribera del Duero, Toro, Cebreros, Valdeorras, Rioja.

Red wine varieties:

Juan García, Tempranillo, Grenache, Graciano, Mencía, Tinta de Toro, Monastrell.

White wine varieties:

Verdejo, Godello, Treixadura, Doña Branca, Palomino, Albillo, Viura, Muscat.