Telmo Rodriguez Gago 2011, DO Toro, Spain

The Telmo Rodriguez estate in Toro is named after a Spanish breed of bull that is both elegant and powerful. The 19th century lower-case ‘g’ typeface that appears on all the Toro wines is transformed, and modernized, by a bull horn. Along with a few other notable winemakers, Telmo was one of the first to rediscover vineyards of decades-old, bush-trained vineyards. He was a major force in elevating Toro to one of the most in vogue wine regions of Spain. The distinctive red soils produce a Tinto de Toro (the local clone of Tempranillo) with tremendous fruit concentration, ripeness, acidity, tannins and structure. Gago is the second wine made in Toro by Telmo Rodriguez. Grapes are picked by hand, fermented by natural yeasts in neutral cement casks, and aged in a combination of foudres and new and seasoned French barriques for about a year. The maturation lasts 14 months in barrels of 225 liters.