Telmo Rodríguez ‘El Transistor’ Verdejo 2024

El Transistor is selected from two old patches of pre-phylloxera dry-grown bush vine. Verdejo which produce deeply flavoured, textural wines. One parcel is the classical stony clay soil of Rueda’s plateau, the other is sandy soil down near the river. Why the name El Transistor? Telmo’s Verdejo vines are plagued by wild boars (see the back label) coming out of the adjacent forest to feast at night on the near-ripe tangy green-gold fruit. To ward of the pigs, Telmo and Pablo decided to place a radio in the vineyard, banging out a truly Spanish transistor racket - odd, but effective!

Even more unique with this wine is Telmo’s theory of ‘disappearing winemaking’. Telmo and Pablo have, of course, performed acts of ‘winemaking’ to achieve a Verdejo as textural as this, however they are very keen not to put a winemaker’s stamp on - to leave the wine un-signed. To achieve this, fermentation and ageing are in a variety of stainless steel, amphorae, concrete vats, concrete BD eggs and French oak (new and old, large and small). Each influences the wine but all cancel one another out in terms of legible artefact.

'El Transistor’ is luscious, voluminous, spicy and textural. Rounded with lovely texture, it’s a very calm and assured wine. El Transistor smells and tastes of golden apples, apple cucumber, custard apple and baked quince with a squirt of lemon and a lash of sand reflecting the Rueda soil. There’s a beautiful earthiness throughout, it’s golden and generous, cut by absolutely fabulous tart, spicy fruit-skin extract. Full, rich and round, it also goes on and on and on.