2021 LG Valbuxán Tinto Lexítimo, Telmo Rodríguez

Granite Pulse

This is Galician red wine with mountain air, wild fruit and a beautiful sense of tension. From Valdeorras, it opens with red cherry, wild blackberry and tart plum, then moves into violet, dried herbs, white pepper, balsamic notes and a cool granite-like minerality. It feels bright and lifted rather than heavy, with the kind of aromatic detail that makes Mencía and its local companions so compelling.

The palate is medium-bodied, juicy and fine-boned, with fresh acidity, delicate tannins and a long, savoury finish. There is dark berry fruit, but also flowers, herbs, spice and that stony Atlantic freshness that keeps everything moving. It is serious without being severe, elegant without being fragile, and full of the quiet drama of old vineyards on steep Galician slopes.

For when you want red wine with perfume, freshness and proper old-world intrigue.
Pairs with roast pork, lamb cutlets, grilled mushrooms, lentils with chorizo, roast chicken, Galician beef, hard sheep’s cheese, or charred aubergine.

Telmo Rodríguez is one of Spain’s great modern wine figures, celebrated for reviving historic vineyards, native varieties and forgotten regional traditions across the country. LG Valbuxán belongs to his Ladeiras do Xil project in Valdeorras, centred on an old Galician pazo that once had its own cellar, now restored as the winery for this part of the project. The wine is inspired by the area’s old village wines and made from a field blend led by Mencía, with Brancellao, Sousón, Garnacha Tintorera and other local varieties, grown around As Ermidas and Santa Cruz. Fermentation is spontaneous with native yeasts, followed by ageing in foudres and barriques, giving a wine that feels deeply rooted in Valdeorras’ steep, stony, granodiorite soils.