Telmo Rodriguez’s fame, infamy to some, began to grow in the 1990’s when he became the face of his family’s winery in Rioja Alavesa, Remelluri, Already an outlier with its all estate bottlings, Telmo introduced... Read More

Telmo Rodriguez’s fame, infamy to some, began to grow in the 1990’s when he became the face of his family’s winery in Rioja Alavesa, Remelluri, Already an outlier with its all estate bottlings, Telmo introduced new French barrels (Rioja producers almost exclusively use American Oak barrels) and eschewed the regions traditional nomenclature; Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva. The wines were hit and a favorite of critics, excited by a new fresh take on this storied region. It was during this time that Telmo started to really take notice of the fact that the most dramatic vineyards in the area were abandoned. These sites were on precipitously steep slopes, with old vines of native varieties. He began to realize the sheer potential of these forgotten sites and the path toward his future endeavors began to emerge.