Telmo Rodriguez 'As Caborcas' 2020

Once the enfant terrible of the Spanish fine wine scene, Telmo Rodríguez is now established as one of Spain’s most successful artisan producers.

For the last 20 years, Telmo and his business partner Pablo Eguzkiza’s strategy has been to work with local vignerons in the most promising areas of Spain to produce good low-cost wines, before identifying the finest vineyards available to make high-quality cuvées across Rioja, Galicia, Malaga, the Gredos Mountains, Rueda, and Alicante.

In 2002, Telmo – a student of some of the 20th century’s finest winemakers, including Gérard Chave, Auguste Clape, and Eloi Dürrbach at Trévallon – began working with growers in Galicia’s Bibei Valley for his Ladeiras do Xil project.

From vineyards that took over a decade to restore, Telmo produces a highly-coveted collection of low-yielding, single-site wines structured around a framework akin to Burgundy’s Crus. If, like us, you prize wine’s rare ability to combine restrained power with delicacy and finesse, these are essential bottles.

The first single vineyard selected by Telmo and Pablo in 2010, ‘As Caborcas’ is a 2.5ha “Grand Cru” plot above the Bibei River in Santa Cruz. Bottled after 15 months in foudres, it is incredibly aromatic with its expressive wild fruit-floral character and soft, juicy texture. 96 Points, Robert Parker.