Telmo Rodriguez, Pegaso Pizarra 2010

From Telmo Rodriguez, of Remelluri fame, comes this exceptional, high-elevation, bush-vine Garnacha. From vineyards above 950 meters, the Pizarra vineyards composed of slate soils face mostly east, and result in highly-complex and profound expressions of this varietal.

Telmo Rodriguez of Remelluri fame made a name for himself when he started his own wine business in the 1990s with fellow winemaker Pablo Eguzkiza. Their prime vision for their Compania de Vinos business was to solely work with native grape varieties. They also decided at the time to work towards reviving and promoting abandoned or forgotten vineyards in various regions of Spain. With Spain only slowly starting to recognize and explore the beauty in its indigenous grape varieties, Telmo and his dedicated team have long been ahead of their game.� They closely work with local growers creating unique wines with a genuine sense of place. It is in the town of Cebreros in the southern part of the Castilla y Leon region where Telmo and Pablo saw the potential of some old bush vines Garnacha that came to make the Pegazo Pizarra and Pegazo Granito wines.� Cebreros has an established vine-growing tradition, although 70% of its vineyards have disappeared in recent years.� The area is noted for the slate-derived minerality of its soils and its harsh, continental climate. The large amount of horses and mules, still used for ploughing and transport that one can find in the village is proof of this. This town�s peculiarity lies in the mixture of slate and granite in its vineyards, with vines going up to 1200m of altitude.� The umbrella pines surrounding the plots are unique, while the 60 to 80 year old Garnacha vines give the landscape a timeless feel. In Cebreros, the plants are still pruned the same way as they were centuries ago.