Telmo Rodriguez' Gab Do Xil 2019
When you drink, you make choices which make a place (you transform and confirm a certain ecology, landscape and political economy)… TELMO RODRIGUEZ
Is it the wine bargain of the year thus far? Yep, I reckon it is. It delivers on every metric - quality, price and an alluring siren song evocation of place like few others for these dollars. We tasted it recently and were blown away, immediately putting on pour by the glass in the restaurant and vowing to get an offer out asap. In fact, we were all geared up to offer the big brother wine that we'd tasted a couple of weeks earlier but after seeing this little ripper we quickly changed course.
It's probably comes as no surprise to know it hails from the Telmo Rodriguez stable of re-found, renovated and reinvented Spanish wine regions and their varieties. This is Mencia - I think most of us are aware of the growing corollary around this unique and beautiful variety hailing from the hidden valleys of Spain's north west. More specifically it comes from Valdeorras in Galicia and covers about 30 k's following the course of the river Sil and a neighbour to the more well known Mencia areas of Bierzo and Ribera Sacra.
The vineyards cling to the sides of mountains, huddled in small clutches on terraces separated by dry stones walls made of the same granite that populates the sub soils here. It seems a folly to want to farm on such difficult albeit spectacularly beautiful terrain, but this is the passion of Rodriguez and his partner in crime in this part of the world Pablo Eguzkiza. As wine importer Scott Wasley wrote of their motivation:
Their intention is to interpret and confirm Valdeorras on a human, rather than industrial scale. The wines are delicate, pure, hand-made. “This is the anti-winemaking”, they proclaim
It's easy to get carried away here but it bears thinking about, why do we drink wine? Boil it down and it's pleasure, but distill it further and it most definitely is a vehicle to a see a place and a moment in time. Wines such as these are banner-bearers for that sentiment and as Rodriguez says, when you drink it you confirm an ecology, a way of life and agriculture connected deeply to it's immediate landscape.
This wine is the entry to the small range from Rodriguez and Eguzkiza. It's essentially a regional blend and it sees only passage in stainless steel. The "sign" says Mencia but in reality it's a field blend with Mencia being by far the most dominant of those varieties. It's fresh, pure red fruited held within a slippery texture. There's a lovely bramble and pink peppercorn element threading through as well as a line of stony minerality. It's balance of elements is perfect.
I'd be laying this in by the case. It's the ultimate mid-weeker but easily graduates to a more serious setting. Winemaking simplicity allowing the full expression of the vintage and the place. What a lovely wine!
Cheers
Michael
Is it the wine bargain of the year thus far? Yep, I reckon it is. It delivers on every metric - quality, price and an alluring siren song evocation of place like few others for these dollars. We tasted it recently and were blown away, immediately putting on pour by the glass in the restaurant and vowing to get an offer out asap. In fact, we were all geared up to offer the big brother wine that we'd tasted a couple of weeks earlier but after seeing this little ripper we quickly changed course.
It's probably comes as no surprise to know it hails from the Telmo Rodriguez stable of re-found, renovated and reinvented Spanish wine regions and their varieties. This is Mencia - I think most of us are aware of the growing corollary around this unique and beautiful variety hailing from the hidden valleys of Spain's north west. More specifically it comes from Valdeorras in Galicia and covers about 30 k's following the course of the river Sil and a neighbour to the more well known Mencia areas of Bierzo and Ribera Sacra.
The vineyards cling to the sides of mountains, huddled in small clutches on terraces separated by dry stones walls made of the same granite that populates the sub soils here. It seems a folly to want to farm on such difficult albeit spectacularly beautiful terrain, but this is the passion of Rodriguez and his partner in crime in this part of the world Pablo Eguzkiza. As wine importer Scott Wasley wrote of their motivation:
Their intention is to interpret and confirm Valdeorras on a human, rather than industrial scale. The wines are delicate, pure, hand-made. “This is the anti-winemaking”, they proclaim
It's easy to get carried away here but it bears thinking about, why do we drink wine? Boil it down and it's pleasure, but distill it further and it most definitely is a vehicle to a see a place and a moment in time. Wines such as these are banner-bearers for that sentiment and as Rodriguez says, when you drink it you confirm an ecology, a way of life and agriculture connected deeply to it's immediate landscape.
This wine is the entry to the small range from Rodriguez and Eguzkiza. It's essentially a regional blend and it sees only passage in stainless steel. The "sign" says Mencia but in reality it's a field blend with Mencia being by far the most dominant of those varieties. It's fresh, pure red fruited held within a slippery texture. There's a lovely bramble and pink peppercorn element threading through as well as a line of stony minerality. It's balance of elements is perfect.
I'd be laying this in by the case. It's the ultimate mid-weeker but easily graduates to a more serious setting. Winemaking simplicity allowing the full expression of the vintage and the place. What a lovely wine!
Cheers
Michael