Telmo Rodriguez Pegaso Granito - 2018

It is a transitional zone where Northern Spain gives way to Southern Spain. The wines from the Sierra de Gredos mountains to the west of Madrid (aka Vinos de Madrid) have finally begun to claim their rightful place alongside other top wine regions focused on producing world-class garnacha (grenache). For many insiders, the region is now considered to be leading the conversation with regard to the potential of this Mediterranean grape, now understood to be indigenous to Spain. Yet, few U.S. drinkers know the origin story of this remote region, a place which the writer/philosopher Miguel de Unamuno described as ” the roof of Castile and the stone heart of Spain.” 

For this origin story, we must go back 25 years to find a father and son on an expedition through this very stone heart of Spain, traversing the mountainous shepherds’ trails, searching for the forgotten landscapes of Iberia. This young man was Telmo Rodríguez, and this experience planted the seed for all that was to come for both him and his future winemaking partner, Pablo Eguzkiza, in the following two decades. The idea for what would simply be known as “Compañía” began when Telmo used to spend over ten summers with his father traversing the Cañadas Reales, which crisscross Spain, looking for forgotten vineyards. Originally, the plan was to write a book. Instead of the book coming to life, it inspired Telmo to start his company rescuing historic, neglected vineyards in these remote corners of Spain.

Whole clusters are picked by hand in small boxes, with a strict selection made in the vineyard. The clusters are de-stemmed and crushed and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks and large neutral French oak foudres. The wine is then aged for 18 months in new and used 600L French oak barrels sourced from different forests.

"It's always interesting to compare the 2018 Pegaso Granito from the one produced with grapes from schist-rich soils, especially when they are from one of the finest vintages in Gredos in recent times. It fermented in stainless steel and oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in 500- and 600-liter French oak barrels for 18 months. This has very good ripeness but without excess and is a little closed and austere. It has the cold sensation of the granite. It's very balanced and should develop nicely in bottle. This is one step up from the previous years." - 95 Points, Wine Advocate 

Producer:  Pegaso

Country: Spain

Region: Castilla y Léon

Varietal: Garnacha

Appellation: Sierra de Gredos

Vintage: 2018

Size: 750ml