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De specificaties zoals vermeld bij de wijn (o.a. wijnjaar) en in de titel zijn leidend en er kunnen geen rechten worden ontleend aan de afbeelding die wordt getoond. Lees meer in onze Frequenty asked questions
| Type of Wine | |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Region | |
| Appellation | |
| Winery | |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Grape | |
| Content (Alc) | 0.75 ltr (14.5%) |
| Drink window | 2026 - 2034 |
| Available as of | Dec 16, 2025 |
In stock
12 items available
It is possible to order this article in backorder. This is possible with items that we can generally have in stock again in 3-5 working days. You can simply order it, but it is important to mention that we only send the order when it is complete.
EN PRIMEUR DISCOUNT VALID UNTIL 1/11/2025 AND WHILE STOCKS LAST - EXPECTED DECEMBER 2025. PRICES FOR EN PRIMEUR ARE EXTRA DORDRECHT. AS A FREE SERVICE, THE WINES CAN BE CONDITIONED AND SAFELY STORED BY US SO THAT THEY CAN BE PICKED UP ON OCCASION OR SHIPPED AT COST BY ARRANGEMENT.
Matallana is Telmo Rodríguez and Pablo Eguzkiza's Ribera del Duero project. Their vision is to restore the region's historical value, focusing on terroir and tradition. Since 1998, old bush vines have been restored and new plots planted using traditional methods. Today, Matallana encompasses eleven vineyards spread across five villages: Sotillo de la Ribera, Roa, Fuentecén, Fuentemolinos, and Pardilla. The total area covers 21.5 hectares, of which 5 hectares contain vines over 50 years old, and 16.5 hectares are newly planted, maintaining a high planting density and adapting naturally to the surrounding environment.
Matallana's strength lies in the diversity of its terroirs. The vineyards lie between 820 and 902 meters in altitude and range from chalky soils to sand, marl, and gravel. This variety gives the wine depth and complexity. The blend consists primarily of tinto fino (Tempranillo), supplemented with small amounts of Garnacha, Bobal, and Albillo. All vineyards are organically farmed, planted in bush vines, and have a planting density of 3,800 vines per hectare. This produces grapes that express their origins in their purest form.
The 2022 vintage was extremely warm in Ribera del Duero, with harvest starting eight days earlier than in 2021. Despite the heat and challenges, the grapes produced a wine with remarkable balance and freshness. The result is a vintage with power and concentration, but without the sluggishness that sometimes characterizes warm years. With 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.72, and 4.34 grams of acidity per liter, the 2022 Matallana displays ripeness and tension in perfect harmony.
The grapes were fermented separately in oak and stainless steel vats. This was followed by 14 months of aging in French oak barrels of varying ages. This traditional approach imparts structure and complexity without allowing the wood to dominate the fruit. It results in a wine that remains true to the character of Ribera del Duero: powerful, vibrant, and layered.
The 2022 Matallana has a deep ruby red color. The nose reveals aromas of ripe cherries, plums, and blackberries, complemented by violets, herbs, and a hint of mineral freshness. On the palate, the wine is powerful and intense, yet refined and elegant. The fine-grained tannins provide structure without harshness. The finish is long and harmonious, with a subtle hint of spice and earthy notes. The Wine Advocate emphasized that, despite the heat of the year, the wine is not heavy, but rather balanced and stylish, awarding it 96 points.
The 2022 Matallana was awarded 96 points by Luis Gutiérrez (The Wine Advocate) and described as a "serious, harmonious, and balanced Ribera, a triumph over the vintage's conditions." Only 23,883 bottles were produced, emphasizing its exclusivity. The wine's aging potential is between 2025 and 2035, during which time it will further deepen and develop into a more complex whole.
If available, you'll find the official fact sheet and additional information about this fine wine in the "Attachments" tab. We'll automatically send you these when you order this wine. The wine is stored in our climate-controlled Wine Warehouse, and if you pick it up, you'll often receive a nice discount. You'll see your discount immediately when you select "Pick up" at the checkout page. We're located in Dordrecht, just off the A16 motorway with ample parking. Click here for our address. You can read full wine reviews from publications like Parker, Suckling, Vinous, and Wine Spectator.
Need advice on finding the perfect wine to pair with your dish? Click here for our exclusive Sommelier. Free for Grand Cru customers.
| Available as of | Dec 16, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Packing information | Case |
| Type of Wine | Red |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Castilla y Leon |
| Appellation | Ribera del Duero |
| Icons | Icon Spain & Portugal |
| Winery | Telmo Rodriguez |
| Grape | Tempranillo |
| Biological certified | No |
| Natural wine | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Drinking as of | 2026 |
| Drinking till | 2034 |
| Alcohol % | 14.5 |
| Alcohol free/low | No |
| Content | 0.75 ltr |
| Oak aging | Yes |
| Sparkling | No |
| Dessert wine | No |
| Closure | Cork |
| Promotion | En Primeur |
| Parker rating | 96 |
| James Suckling rating | 94 |
| Tasting Profiles | Complex, Droog, Houtgerijpt, Krachtig, Kruidig, Rood fruit, Tannines, Vol |
| Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe, Open haard |
2020
RP 96
There is a change in the 2020 Matallana, as they have included Jean-Guillaume Prats (ex-Cos d'Estournel, ex-Lafite...) in the Ribera del Duero project, and the wine is going to be sold for the first time with this vintage through the négociant system of La Place de Bordeaux. The grapes from the five villages (mentioned but then crossed out on the label) were picked between the sixth and 18th of October and fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and oak vats. The wine matured in French oak barrels for 14 months. This is a little riper than the 2019 I tasted next to it, despite both being 14.5% alcohol (at least on the label). It follows the path of seriousness and austerity of the last few vintages and has a very calcareous mouthfeel with chalky tannins that lift up the finish. 19,624 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2022.
2018
Rating
96
Release Price
$75 - 80
Drink Date
2021 - 2030
Reviewed by
Luis Gutiérrez
Issue Date
19th Aug 2021
Source
August 2021 Week 3, The Wine Advocate
The Ribera del Duero project has been changing and a work in progress for a while ,and there's only one wine produced, of which this time I tasted the 2016 Matallana. It's a traditional blend of Tempranillo with approximately 15% other grapes—Valenciano (Bobal), Navarro (Garnacha) and white Albillo—from different soils in five different villages, Sotillo de la Ribera, Roa, Fuentecén, Fuentemolinos and Pardilla. It fermented in oak and stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts and matured for 14 months in French oak barrels of different ages. 2016 was also an abundant crop of wines with freshness. It's a traditional red with elegant rusticity and subtle aromas, already gaining some tertiary notes, integrated oak and a medium to full-bodied palate with fine-grained tannins, fine but still identifiable as Ribera del Duero. They have the idea to renovate an old house to make the winery but they are facing bureaucratic problems... 22,665 bottles produced. It was bottled in May and June 2018. There will be no 2017 of this wine.
I tasted the fine-wine portfolio from Telmo Rodríguez and Pablo Eguzkiza, wines from different regions with a great majority of 2018s, a vintage that was challenging in many places but with very good results. Their viticulture is organic (and has been for a while) and is biodynamic in some places; they are in the process of certifying some of their wines, but they are finding some bureaucratic problems. In Rioja, all of their wines are certified organic.
In Galicia (Valdeorras or Riberas del Bibei, as they want to call it), they have their new winery in an old building that they restored, and they have a new wine, probably called Lg. Valbuxan (Lugar de Valbuxan, a place from O Bolo), a red that closes the gap between Gaba do Xil and the single vineyard wines. Falcoeira and O Diviso are in the process of being certified organic.
Most of the wines from Gredos, which now carry the DO Cebreros and mention Sierra de Gredos on their labels, were from the 2018 vintage, one of the finest in the zone. The wines showed super elegant and with unnoticeable oak—defined, clean and precise—and they showcase the consolidated new style since the arrival of winemaker Marc Isart.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Decanter
95/100 punten
A brand new wine to the Place de Bordeaux this year and the first wine from Ribera del Duero via a collaboration between Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkia (also of Yjar on the Place). A field blend of massal-selection grapes - Tinto Fino, Navarro, Valenciano, Albillo 'and others' are chosen from 11 vineyards across five villages with different soils and landscapes totalling 21.5 hectares. This is softly floral on the nose with bright red berry notes. Taught and direct, this doesn't deviate too much from the centre of the palate - the spiced, tobacco-laced black fruit and clear mineral wet stone, graphite and pencil lead all in one line from start to finish, tangy and a little constricted. Feels well worked no doubt, smooth and defined, just not so expansive and wide at this point. Coiled and knitted with tons of liquorice and savouriness on the finish. A real balancing act of complexity and flavour layering with underlying power and promise of great things to come. Ageing 14 months in French oak barrels. Interestingly, the label features a series of redacted, blacked-out lines covering vineyard names as regulations prevent the naming of such.
Colin Hay (The Drinks Business)
95/100 punten
This could easily become something of a cult wine. A new release on la place – the first from Ribera Del Duero and unlikely to be the last – from the extremely talented Telmo Rodriguez (here working with Pablo Eguzkiza). Lovely grippy chalky tannins. Dried raisins. Figs. Dark berry fruit too and a little hint of raspberry puree. This will need time for the tannins to soften, but it has impressive aging potential.
Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux)
96/100 punten
First time on the Place, from Vinedos de Matallana, care of the iconic winemaking partnership between Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkiza, produced with fruit from plots across Burgos. The pair's signature mix of intensity and concentration playing against delicacy and reserved power is fully on display, a combination that should be impossible to achieve in the heat of Ribera del Duero. It's earthy, in the sense that it feels hewn from rocks that give a feeling of slate, granite, steely tannic hold, fine but intense, all of which melts into fragrant gunsmoke, oyster shell, lemon rind, raspberry, pomegranate and red cherry fruits. The flavours are toasted and yet cooling, a wine of contrasts and texture, and utterly compelling. Powerful yet the barest lightness of being. Begs you to find out more. Lucky us that these wines are going through the Place, bringing them to wider attention.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
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Winemaker Telmo Rodriguez is labeled as one of the young lions of the Spanish wine industry. He studied at the University of Bordeaux and later in the Rhône with the famous August Clape. He was the winemaker of La Granja Senora De Remelluri, his father's bodega in Rioja. He left there to become what some would call a flying winemaker. However, Telmo prefers to call itself a 'driving winemaker'. he lives in Madrid and drives his car to the areas where he makes wine. In a short time his wines have found a place on the international playing field. One example: in Tom Stevenson's Wine Report 2008, Telmo is included among the top 10 producers from Spain. We once again spoke extensively with Telmo Rodriguez. That is always a pleasure. If you sit down with him you always learn something or he gives food for thought. What makes this 'conscience of the Spanish wine world' so special? When Telmo completed his studies in Bordeaux and then had internships with people like Chave (Hermitage), Clape (Cornas) and Dürrbach (Trévallon) he came back to Spain. There he saw other Spaniards who had studied in France bringing French grape varieties and customs to Spain. For example, there was more and more wire guidance, while the Spanish system had always been free-standing sticks. Telmo concluded that he wanted to focus on the old qualities of Spain such as freestanding sticks, indigenous grape varieties and field blends. In addition, he was the first in Spain to introduce modern labels and he opposes the rigid Spanish wine laws.
Free standing sticks
Spain used to be a country of bush vines: the sticks were so far apart per area and per vineyard that they could each get enough water. If you place your sticks far apart with wire articulation, the stick will grow far and become much too large. With wire articulation, you therefore need many more sticks per hectare. However, the problem is that there is not enough water for this and you therefore have to irrigate, in areas that often already suffer from a shortage of water. In addition, the grapes hang more in the shade with free-standing sticks, which gives less chance of 'burning' and leads to less stewed fruit and fresher acids. The only downside to free-standing canes is that more manual work is involved in vineyard management and harvesting. Telmo works almost exclusively with bush vines.
Native grape varieties
It was clear to Telmo that there are so many good indigenous varieties in Spain that importing 'the big five' (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah) from France was not necessary at all. He was one of the first to produce good Rueda from Verdejo and Viura, he embraced Mencia and Godello in Valdeorras, Monastrell in Alicante, Moscatel in Malaga, Garnacha in Cebreros…. In the mid-1990s he was still considered crazy with this philosophy, but now everyone is following him.
Field blends
There used to be many vineyards in Spain with various grape varieties mixed together, also called 'field blends'. It is often argued against field blends that the varieties (that are picked together) are not all ripe at the same time. It speaks for the fact that diversity and disease resistance increase and that it promotes complexity. Telmo now has two vineyards with field blends in production. In Rioja he makes it Las Beatas (named after the vineyard, first vintage awarded with 97 points by Parker) and in Valdeorras Las Caborcas. Beautiful, original wines!
Spanish wine laws
Telmo was the first to remove the word Reserva from a Rioja in 1995. In his words: 'I ask my wines how long they want to stay in the wood'. One year grapes can easily handle a 12-month aging in wood, but not in another year. There was consternation about Las Beatas: the Consecho initially did not want to approve the wine made with a field blend as Rioja… while there was a time when all Rioja was made that way! Consecho did not push this to the extreme and ultimately fortunate for them, given the enormously high international appreciation.
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EN PRIMEUR DISCOUNT VALID UNTIL 1/11/2025 AND WHILE STOCKS LAST - EXPECTED DECEMBER 2025. PRICES FOR EN PRIMEUR ARE EXTRA DORDRECHT. AS A FREE SERVICE, THE WINES CAN BE CONDITIONED AND SAFELY STORED BY US SO THAT THEY CAN BE PICKED UP ON OCCASION OR SHIPPED AT COST BY ARRANGEMENT.
Matallana is Telmo Rodríguez and Pablo Eguzkiza's Ribera del Duero project. Their vision is to restore the region's historical value, focusing on terroir and tradition. Since 1998, old bush vines have been restored and new plots planted using traditional methods. Today, Matallana encompasses eleven vineyards spread across five villages: Sotillo de la Ribera, Roa, Fuentecén, Fuentemolinos, and Pardilla. The total area covers 21.5 hectares, of which 5 hectares contain vines over 50 years old, and 16.5 hectares are newly planted, maintaining a high planting density and adapting naturally to the surrounding environment.
Matallana's strength lies in the diversity of its terroirs. The vineyards lie between 820 and 902 meters in altitude and range from chalky soils to sand, marl, and gravel. This variety gives the wine depth and complexity. The blend consists primarily of tinto fino (Tempranillo), supplemented with small amounts of Garnacha, Bobal, and Albillo. All vineyards are organically farmed, planted in bush vines, and have a planting density of 3,800 vines per hectare. This produces grapes that express their origins in their purest form.
The 2022 vintage was extremely warm in Ribera del Duero, with harvest starting eight days earlier than in 2021. Despite the heat and challenges, the grapes produced a wine with remarkable balance and freshness. The result is a vintage with power and concentration, but without the sluggishness that sometimes characterizes warm years. With 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.72, and 4.34 grams of acidity per liter, the 2022 Matallana displays ripeness and tension in perfect harmony.
The grapes were fermented separately in oak and stainless steel vats. This was followed by 14 months of aging in French oak barrels of varying ages. This traditional approach imparts structure and complexity without allowing the wood to dominate the fruit. It results in a wine that remains true to the character of Ribera del Duero: powerful, vibrant, and layered.
The 2022 Matallana has a deep ruby red color. The nose reveals aromas of ripe cherries, plums, and blackberries, complemented by violets, herbs, and a hint of mineral freshness. On the palate, the wine is powerful and intense, yet refined and elegant. The fine-grained tannins provide structure without harshness. The finish is long and harmonious, with a subtle hint of spice and earthy notes. The Wine Advocate emphasized that, despite the heat of the year, the wine is not heavy, but rather balanced and stylish, awarding it 96 points.
The 2022 Matallana was awarded 96 points by Luis Gutiérrez (The Wine Advocate) and described as a "serious, harmonious, and balanced Ribera, a triumph over the vintage's conditions." Only 23,883 bottles were produced, emphasizing its exclusivity. The wine's aging potential is between 2025 and 2035, during which time it will further deepen and develop into a more complex whole.
If available, you'll find the official fact sheet and additional information about this fine wine in the "Attachments" tab. We'll automatically send you these when you order this wine. The wine is stored in our climate-controlled Wine Warehouse, and if you pick it up, you'll often receive a nice discount. You'll see your discount immediately when you select "Pick up" at the checkout page. We're located in Dordrecht, just off the A16 motorway with ample parking. Click here for our address. You can read full wine reviews from publications like Parker, Suckling, Vinous, and Wine Spectator.
Need advice on finding the perfect wine to pair with your dish? Click here for our exclusive Sommelier. Free for Grand Cru customers.
| Available as of | Dec 16, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Packing information | Case |
| Type of Wine | Red |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Castilla y Leon |
| Appellation | Ribera del Duero |
| Icons | Icon Spain & Portugal |
| Winery | Telmo Rodriguez |
| Grape | Tempranillo |
| Biological certified | No |
| Natural wine | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Drinking as of | 2026 |
| Drinking till | 2034 |
| Alcohol % | 14.5 |
| Alcohol free/low | No |
| Content | 0.75 ltr |
| Oak aging | Yes |
| Sparkling | No |
| Dessert wine | No |
| Closure | Cork |
| Promotion | En Primeur |
| Parker rating | 96 |
| James Suckling rating | 94 |
| Tasting Profiles | Complex, Droog, Houtgerijpt, Krachtig, Kruidig, Rood fruit, Tannines, Vol |
| Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe, Open haard |
2020
RP 96
There is a change in the 2020 Matallana, as they have included Jean-Guillaume Prats (ex-Cos d'Estournel, ex-Lafite...) in the Ribera del Duero project, and the wine is going to be sold for the first time with this vintage through the négociant system of La Place de Bordeaux. The grapes from the five villages (mentioned but then crossed out on the label) were picked between the sixth and 18th of October and fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and oak vats. The wine matured in French oak barrels for 14 months. This is a little riper than the 2019 I tasted next to it, despite both being 14.5% alcohol (at least on the label). It follows the path of seriousness and austerity of the last few vintages and has a very calcareous mouthfeel with chalky tannins that lift up the finish. 19,624 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2022.
2018
Rating
96
Release Price
$75 - 80
Drink Date
2021 - 2030
Reviewed by
Luis Gutiérrez
Issue Date
19th Aug 2021
Source
August 2021 Week 3, The Wine Advocate
The Ribera del Duero project has been changing and a work in progress for a while ,and there's only one wine produced, of which this time I tasted the 2016 Matallana. It's a traditional blend of Tempranillo with approximately 15% other grapes—Valenciano (Bobal), Navarro (Garnacha) and white Albillo—from different soils in five different villages, Sotillo de la Ribera, Roa, Fuentecén, Fuentemolinos and Pardilla. It fermented in oak and stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts and matured for 14 months in French oak barrels of different ages. 2016 was also an abundant crop of wines with freshness. It's a traditional red with elegant rusticity and subtle aromas, already gaining some tertiary notes, integrated oak and a medium to full-bodied palate with fine-grained tannins, fine but still identifiable as Ribera del Duero. They have the idea to renovate an old house to make the winery but they are facing bureaucratic problems... 22,665 bottles produced. It was bottled in May and June 2018. There will be no 2017 of this wine.
I tasted the fine-wine portfolio from Telmo Rodríguez and Pablo Eguzkiza, wines from different regions with a great majority of 2018s, a vintage that was challenging in many places but with very good results. Their viticulture is organic (and has been for a while) and is biodynamic in some places; they are in the process of certifying some of their wines, but they are finding some bureaucratic problems. In Rioja, all of their wines are certified organic.
In Galicia (Valdeorras or Riberas del Bibei, as they want to call it), they have their new winery in an old building that they restored, and they have a new wine, probably called Lg. Valbuxan (Lugar de Valbuxan, a place from O Bolo), a red that closes the gap between Gaba do Xil and the single vineyard wines. Falcoeira and O Diviso are in the process of being certified organic.
Most of the wines from Gredos, which now carry the DO Cebreros and mention Sierra de Gredos on their labels, were from the 2018 vintage, one of the finest in the zone. The wines showed super elegant and with unnoticeable oak—defined, clean and precise—and they showcase the consolidated new style since the arrival of winemaker Marc Isart.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Decanter
95/100 punten
A brand new wine to the Place de Bordeaux this year and the first wine from Ribera del Duero via a collaboration between Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkia (also of Yjar on the Place). A field blend of massal-selection grapes - Tinto Fino, Navarro, Valenciano, Albillo 'and others' are chosen from 11 vineyards across five villages with different soils and landscapes totalling 21.5 hectares. This is softly floral on the nose with bright red berry notes. Taught and direct, this doesn't deviate too much from the centre of the palate - the spiced, tobacco-laced black fruit and clear mineral wet stone, graphite and pencil lead all in one line from start to finish, tangy and a little constricted. Feels well worked no doubt, smooth and defined, just not so expansive and wide at this point. Coiled and knitted with tons of liquorice and savouriness on the finish. A real balancing act of complexity and flavour layering with underlying power and promise of great things to come. Ageing 14 months in French oak barrels. Interestingly, the label features a series of redacted, blacked-out lines covering vineyard names as regulations prevent the naming of such.
Colin Hay (The Drinks Business)
95/100 punten
This could easily become something of a cult wine. A new release on la place – the first from Ribera Del Duero and unlikely to be the last – from the extremely talented Telmo Rodriguez (here working with Pablo Eguzkiza). Lovely grippy chalky tannins. Dried raisins. Figs. Dark berry fruit too and a little hint of raspberry puree. This will need time for the tannins to soften, but it has impressive aging potential.
Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux)
96/100 punten
First time on the Place, from Vinedos de Matallana, care of the iconic winemaking partnership between Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkiza, produced with fruit from plots across Burgos. The pair's signature mix of intensity and concentration playing against delicacy and reserved power is fully on display, a combination that should be impossible to achieve in the heat of Ribera del Duero. It's earthy, in the sense that it feels hewn from rocks that give a feeling of slate, granite, steely tannic hold, fine but intense, all of which melts into fragrant gunsmoke, oyster shell, lemon rind, raspberry, pomegranate and red cherry fruits. The flavours are toasted and yet cooling, a wine of contrasts and texture, and utterly compelling. Powerful yet the barest lightness of being. Begs you to find out more. Lucky us that these wines are going through the Place, bringing them to wider attention.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Sign in to unlock professional wine reviews from world-renowned critics
Winemaker Telmo Rodriguez is labeled as one of the young lions of the Spanish wine industry. He studied at the University of Bordeaux and later in the Rhône with the famous August Clape. He was the winemaker of La Granja Senora De Remelluri, his father's bodega in Rioja. He left there to become what some would call a flying winemaker. However, Telmo prefers to call itself a 'driving winemaker'. he lives in Madrid and drives his car to the areas where he makes wine. In a short time his wines have found a place on the international playing field. One example: in Tom Stevenson's Wine Report 2008, Telmo is included among the top 10 producers from Spain. We once again spoke extensively with Telmo Rodriguez. That is always a pleasure. If you sit down with him you always learn something or he gives food for thought. What makes this 'conscience of the Spanish wine world' so special? When Telmo completed his studies in Bordeaux and then had internships with people like Chave (Hermitage), Clape (Cornas) and Dürrbach (Trévallon) he came back to Spain. There he saw other Spaniards who had studied in France bringing French grape varieties and customs to Spain. For example, there was more and more wire guidance, while the Spanish system had always been free-standing sticks. Telmo concluded that he wanted to focus on the old qualities of Spain such as freestanding sticks, indigenous grape varieties and field blends. In addition, he was the first in Spain to introduce modern labels and he opposes the rigid Spanish wine laws.
Free standing sticks
Spain used to be a country of bush vines: the sticks were so far apart per area and per vineyard that they could each get enough water. If you place your sticks far apart with wire articulation, the stick will grow far and become much too large. With wire articulation, you therefore need many more sticks per hectare. However, the problem is that there is not enough water for this and you therefore have to irrigate, in areas that often already suffer from a shortage of water. In addition, the grapes hang more in the shade with free-standing sticks, which gives less chance of 'burning' and leads to less stewed fruit and fresher acids. The only downside to free-standing canes is that more manual work is involved in vineyard management and harvesting. Telmo works almost exclusively with bush vines.
Native grape varieties
It was clear to Telmo that there are so many good indigenous varieties in Spain that importing 'the big five' (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah) from France was not necessary at all. He was one of the first to produce good Rueda from Verdejo and Viura, he embraced Mencia and Godello in Valdeorras, Monastrell in Alicante, Moscatel in Malaga, Garnacha in Cebreros…. In the mid-1990s he was still considered crazy with this philosophy, but now everyone is following him.
Field blends
There used to be many vineyards in Spain with various grape varieties mixed together, also called 'field blends'. It is often argued against field blends that the varieties (that are picked together) are not all ripe at the same time. It speaks for the fact that diversity and disease resistance increase and that it promotes complexity. Telmo now has two vineyards with field blends in production. In Rioja he makes it Las Beatas (named after the vineyard, first vintage awarded with 97 points by Parker) and in Valdeorras Las Caborcas. Beautiful, original wines!
Spanish wine laws
Telmo was the first to remove the word Reserva from a Rioja in 1995. In his words: 'I ask my wines how long they want to stay in the wood'. One year grapes can easily handle a 12-month aging in wood, but not in another year. There was consternation about Las Beatas: the Consecho initially did not want to approve the wine made with a field blend as Rioja… while there was a time when all Rioja was made that way! Consecho did not push this to the extreme and ultimately fortunate for them, given the enormously high international appreciation.
🍷 Enjoyed these wine facts? Share your newfound knowledge with fellow wine enthusiasts!
Sign in to unlock fascinating facts about this wine and expand your knowledge.
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