2019 Gago Tinta de Toro, Telmo Rodriguez

The Gentleman of Toro.

Powerful yet polished, the 2019 Gago takes the wild heart of Toro and dresses it in elegance. Aromas of black plum, cassis and violet mingle with graphite, cedar and a whisper of dark chocolate. The palate is full-bodied and richly fruited, yet balanced by Telmo Rodríguez’s signature freshness, ripe tannins, fine acidity, and a savoury mineral thread that runs clean through to the finish. It’s a wine of structure and style: robust without heaviness, expressive without excess.

For when: the fire’s glowing and the night feels infinite.
Pairs with: roast lamb, smoky BBQ ribs, or slow-cooked beef cheeks.
If this wine were: a person, it’d be Javier Bardem in a linen suit - intensity with effortless charm.

Telmo Rodríguez, one of Spain’s most acclaimed winemakers, has built his reputation on authenticity, travelling the country to resurrect forgotten vineyards and native grape varieties. His work in Toro, west of Ribera del Duero, showcases the depth and power of Tinta de Toro (the local Tempranillo clone) through an approach that prizes vineyard expression over winemaking artifice.

The Gago cuvée represents the beating heart of his Toro project: old bush vines (many over 40 years old) grown on sandy and gravelly soils at altitude. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged 14 months in a mix of French oak barrels and foudres, the 2019 vintage captures the generosity of the year while maintaining striking balance. It’s modern Toro at its best - bold, aromatic, beautifully textured and unmistakably Telmo.