Vintus

In the May 2013 issue of Food & Wine Magazine, a small feature gave readers four great Almost-Extinct Grapes to try – Malagousia, Nascetta, Godello, and Pecorino. “Winemakers across Europe have worked to save indigenous grape varieties from extinction, often bringing them back from a few surviving vines.” The 2011 Telmo Rodriguez Gaba do Xil Godello was selected as a “Bottle to Try” in the Godello category. See below to read a little more about each of the almost-extinct grape varieties.

The Washington Post published their top-5 “Wines to Try” in their wine column on March 13. Among the five recommended wines was Telmo Rodriguez’ 2011 Dehesa Gago, with the top score of 2 stars (meaning “exceptional”).  Read the tasting note below!

Dehesa Gago 2011

★★

Toro, Spain, $16

“Star Spanish winemaker Telmo Rodriguez produces this sensuous red from old-vines Tinto de Toro, the local name for Spain’s flagship tempranillo. Fermented in concrete and stainless steel, this unoaked wine is lush and dense, almost chewy in texture. Any restaurant with a charcuterie plate should carry this bottle.”

Food & Wine Magazine released their Pairing of the Day for February 4-8, 2013. First up is Chile Shrimp with Butter Beans and Lemony Couscous paired with the 2011 Telmo Rodriguez Basa.  The dish is “a tangy, caper-studded couscous with butter beans and lemon juice makes a delicious base for quickly sautéed spicy shrimp” with a wine pairing a “zippy, medium-bodied Spanish white”. To see the full recipe click here.

Neal Martin of the Wine Advocate has a piece up on the Parker website detailing his favorite wines of the year.  Included is a list of  his top current releases tasted in 2012, and Telmo’s Altos de Lanzaga 2009 comes in as the #3 wine!

“The 2009 Altos de Lanzaga has a more introverted bouquet than the 2007: tightly coiled with fine delineation and purity. The palate is beautifully defined with great weight and intensity without compromising upon its elegance and poise. Like the 2007, there is a Burgundy like allure to this weight, with tremendous clarity on the finish. “Stunning” is the word that springs to mind. Drink 2015-2025+” 96 Points, Neal Martin

The popular New York City Spanish restaurant Boqueria has a special feature on Telmo Rodriguez this month. The Boqueria restaurants were inspired by the best tapas bars in Barcelona, Spain. Their detailed blog post is dedicated to Telmo and his story, and invites diners to join together in celebrating the great wines of Compañia de Vinos Telmo Rodriguez as they feature Gaba do Xil Mencia, MR, Dehesa Gago, Gago, and Pegaso in all three of their locations. Click below to read the full piece.

The San Francisco Examiner published an article highlighting Rueda whites and what they have to offer as an alternative to Sauvignon Blanc. “If you love sauvignon blanc but want to stay in the $15-or-less price range, what are your options without compromising quality? I have one word for you: Rueda. Rueda is an appellation in the Castilla y Leon region of Spain. Not exactly one of the more scenic parts of the country, it is on a high plain with the Duero River being its most interesting geographic feature. Nonetheless, winemaking has been important to the area for a millennium.” The article recommends three terrific Ruedas to try, one of which is the Telmo Rodriguez Basa 2011. Click below to read the full article and comments on the wine!

Decanter magazine’s November 2012 issue named Telmo Rodriguez’s Gaba do Xil Godello 2011 their Best Value Wine of the Month! The tasting team’s comments are below.

“A hugely appealing white from this producer’s Galician property. The nose begins a bright attack of citrus, before revealing a saline air and undertones of vanilla custard. Textured and balanced on the palate, with sweet fruit and a hint of melon. A savory quality suggests fine food-matching potential.”

What a flurry of accolades for Telmo Rodriguez recently!  Now, on top of all the Telmo Rodriguez press we’ve been receiving, the Wine Spectator’s latest issue highlights Telmo Rodriguez throughout their special feature on Rioja.

If you click on the image below you can see a reprint of relevant portions of the “Revolution in Rioja” issue .  Telmo is featured in the opening article of the Rioja section called, “Searching for the Real Rioja”.  There is a full-page photo of him and he is profiled in a section called, “Seeking a Third Way”.  Telmo’s “Third Way” is a new direction that differs from previous trend of long oak-aging in the 19^th and 20^th century Rioja, as well as the big fruit, alcohol and extraction trend of the last 15 years.  It’s “back to the future”, as he seeks to make wines as he imagines they were made in the 18^th century and earlier.

Telmo is also profiled in the article “Six Producers who are Leading the Way”.  He is one of these six producers, and his section is entitled: “Telmo Rodriguez: Prodigal Son”.  The piece discusses Telmo’s work all over Spain searching for forgotten vineyards, his return to Rioja in 1998, and the 2009 opening of his bodega in Lanciego.

Click the image below for the articles.

Telmo’s new Rioja releases just received some stellar ratings from Neal Martin in the Wine Advocate. Altos de Lanzaga 2007 and 2009, along with one other wine, are the No. 1-ranked current release Rioja in the report, with a score of 96 points!  Lanzaga 2009 and LZ 2011 received 91 and 90 points, respectively. See below for the full text of the reviews.

There is a piece on the Wine Spectator homepage discussing how Spain’s most dynamic winemakers balance a new perspective of Spanish wine with tradition.   The article centers around Telmo Rodriguez and his partner in La Compania de Vinos Telmo Rodriguez, Pablo Eguzkiza.  As Mitch writes:

“During two weeks in Spain earlier this summer, I was struck by how the best winemakers here walk a tightrope between the past and the future. Spain is probably the most dynamic wine country in Europe right now, thanks to people like Rodriguez and Eguzkiza and a younger generation that is following their example. They want to prove that Spain is not just a source for value, but a land with incredible terroirs. The problem is that Spain is still a conservative country in many ways, even three decades after dictator Francisco Franco’s death triggered a wave of changes. The New Spain is still a work in progress.”

There are some great lines from Telmo and Pablo on how they search for extraordinary sites and seek to to preserve traditional viticulture, as well as a fantastic (albeit unfortunate) story of how they were, let’s say misled, in the re-planting of one of Rioja vineyards.  Click on the image below for the full article.