Bodega Lanzaga - Telmo Rodriguez

This Lanziego-based estate is the personal passion project of Spain’s superstar winemaker Telmo Rodriguez, who is committed to making wines that articulate the local terroir and evoke the great Riojas of the 18th century.

Shortly after studying winemaking in Bordeaux and doing prolonged stints at some of the world’s best wineries (including Chave, Beaucastel and Trevallon), Telmo Rodriguez took over the reins from his parents at the Remelluri estate in Rioja. Telmo transformed the property into a world-class address within a few years. 

New wine estates, authentic wines

But Remelluri on its own was too parochial for his liking. After setting up his own company in the mid-1990s, Telmo assembled a portfolio of small estates in partnership with his old university friend Pablo Eguzkiza, probably the best oenologist and vineyard architect in Spain. For Telmo and Pablo, the aim was to make wines that capture the essence of Spain’s most important wine regions.

Las Beatas – an exceptional Lanziego cru

Rodriguez eventually built his very own winery, Bodega Lanzaga in Lanziego. Boasting vines aged over 100 years, Altos de Lanzaga and the coveted Las Beatas vineyard are among the best crus that Rioja has to offer. The Lanzaga estate comprises 15 hectares, with up to 10 grape varieties interplanted as traditional field blends. The farming is organic. The result? Refined, complex, fresh and graceful wines evoking a time long forgotten – made by perhaps the best winemaker in Spain today.

telmorodriguez.com