Telmo Rodriguez ‘Dehesa Gago’ 2023

Lithe red fruits with touches of smoke and meat, and a real lashing of balsam, briar and wildflower. There’s a little buzz of red dirt energy, too, and everything is easily expressed, open and mature.

If you fancy that you can smell the grape tannin mingling with those red clay tells, just wait until it hits the mouth. Beautifully shaped to fit the mouth, the wine reaches out to all parts, radiating from a central core of clay-and-tannin. The acid is spiced and has great textural bandwidth, taking the fruity-tannic wine on its assured, unhurried way through the mouth. Dehesa Gago is perfectly weighted for winter drinking, with great flavour and presence, yet the tannin and acid are ultimately highly refreshing, layering flavour and rinsing it off in alternation. A gem, literally: simple and beautiful, really honest and pure.