Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha

Rioja, Spain

Bright, high-toned red berry fruit with vivid acidity is balanced by sandy tannins, notes of soy and a long finish. Elegant and defined. Blackcurrant, black cherry, liquorice and subtle spice. Soft tannins with a fresh mineral edge makes this very approachable.

12 months in French oak gives a nice structure to the wine, although instead of labelling it by ageing terms like Crianza or Reserva, the winery focuses on the specific grape sources and single-village terroir of Labastida. The aim is to express the character of the village rather than a house style.

Fantastic with lamb, chorizo or roast vegetables.

Telmo Rodriguez’s wines have always been ground-breaking. Few others have worked so widely across Spain, reviving abandoned vineyards, championing place over winemaking process, and producing wines which are admired by critics and sommeliers alike. Telmo has long believed that the future of Rioja is rooted in the past - pre-phylloxera, before the French brought barriques, and the grand bodegas were established in Haro - when families that were working from small cellars created individual expressions of the region’s diverse terroirs.