Telmo Rodriguez MR Mountain Wine 2024

MR embodies the essence of the sweet mountain wines of Málaga, in Andalusia, in the Sierras de Málaga appellation. The very old bush-trained Muscat of Alexandria vines cling to the extreme slopes of the village of Cómpeta, above 550 metres. These steep hillsides of dark schist and slate, worked entirely by hand, enjoy the Mediterranean light and cooler nights that preserve acidity.

The hand-harvested grapes dry naturally in the sun on paseros, following the local tradition of raisining. They are then pressed slowly in an olive-oil press, and the must ferments with native yeasts. The wine is aged for ten months in stainless-steel tanks, which preserves its aromatic purity and the balance between sugar and freshness.

This wine reveals notes of orange blossom, candied citrus, ripe peach, honey, orange peel, mango, dried apricot, warm stone. The intense golden-yellow colour precedes a particularly expressive nose. On the palate, the sweetness is balanced by lovely freshness that brings relief and elegance, through to a long, refined and subtly mineral finish.

The history of wine in Spain is so ancient that no one really knows who first brought the vines to the region. By the time the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was already well established, and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a winemaking miracle. After years on the sidelines of the world of fine wines, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often high in alcohol), and spicy reds that are gaining popularity with international consumers. Proud to have more land dedicated to vines than any other country, Spain is only now beginning to capitalize on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is a chaotic jumble of regions and subregions, much like its landscape is a chaotic jumble of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity among Spain's many wine regions, from the lush, green vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the parched vineyards of the southeastern Mediterranean. Spain's saving grace for viticulture is the average altitude of its vineyards, which is over 600 meters. Many Spanish vineyards are thus able to produce grapes with good color and acidity simply because nighttime temperatures are relatively low and the grapes don't ripen until after a sufficiently long growing season. But there is a real treasure trove to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all sorts of ambitious investors have done their part to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun to craft spectacular wines and experiment with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.