Telmo Rodriguez – Toro – Gago 2019

Of Basque origin, but considering himself to be very close to French culture, Telmo Rodriguez studied wine at the Institut d’oenologie in Bordeaux, before completing internships with Cos d’Estournel, Jean Louis Chave and Trevallon. He also worked on the vinification of the family estate at Remelluri, in Rioja. Then, in 1990, with an investment of just a few thousand euros, he launched his own winery. He bought grapes to produce his first wines. It wasn’t until 1997, in Rioja, that he acquired his first plots of land. Paradoxical for someone who had a burning desire to explore new regions.

One of Telmo Rodriguez’s main principles is to respect the Spanish tradition of gobelet vine-growing, because this method of vine-growing protects the vines from the extreme heat of the Iberian vineyards. He is fiercely opposed to the fashionable trellising of vineyards and only buys vines that respect his ideal. Telmo also works with biodynamic viticulture, but with great common sense, he admits that he only does so out of respect for the land, and that the organic viticulture label is of no importance to him. The important thing is that the result is a balanced, tasty wine.