Telmo Rodriguez 'Basa' Verdejo 2024

Basa is based on organically-grown 40 year-old bush-vines grown at 750 metres altitude, and cropped at about 1kg/vine. Basa is all about perfectly balanced sugar/acid/tannin in the berry which is then carefully nurtured into balanced wine, with no additions in the winery (save for a small amount of necessary sulphur at bottling). A great all-rounder with food, Basa’s primary attribute is natural acidity, so it doesn’t get cloying, metallic or soapy … no matter how many bottles are gone through! Basa is a not-so-fruity Rueda Verdejo with 20% Viura in the mix finessing extra palate nerve.

Verdejo, like Godello (and some folks do confuse the two) tends to be front-palate heavy and a bit vague at the back; Viura, while relatively characterless is an excellent natural dilutant and serves to bring Verdejo down and stretch it out. Basa used to feature a little Sauvignon Blanc in the blend to add extra length, nerve and snap to the finish; however, the lessons learned from big sister ‘el Transistor’ (see here) have helped Telmo and Pablo texture and lengthen the Verdejo to the point where the Sauvignon in blend is not necessary. Basa is fermented in a mix of large wooden vats, concrete and stainless steel tanks.

Now without any Sauvignon, this gorgeous dry-grown Verdejo is blended with a little of floral Viura to lighten and lift. Basa is lovely, uncomplicated, and texturally pleasing. Basa smells of feijoa and fresh-cut pear with the faintest tropical wash and a gentle green herb tuck. The palate is mid-weight and of good length with a great mix of fruit flesh, earth and gently nutty tannin running out on natural acid. Textured without overt fructose, it’s savoury, with minerality and good length, and perfectly blends richness and line