Telmo's range of Rioja Tempranillo releases is huge, from the approachable to the superstar. This Lanzaga, we think, hits the sweet spot - it's a delicious medium-bodied and graceful Spanish red that uses mainly old oak barrels, so you get a wonderful expression. It is in an especially great place now, after a few years of lying down in the cellar, with flavours of olive, dark cherries, and leather in a rather silken form.

Telmo Rodriguez is possibly the most famous name in Spanish wine today. A pioneer who has been advocating native grape varieties tied to the climates and conditions of their sites, as well as making world-class wines from undiscovered regions. Perhaps most impressive, while he makes rare and limited wines of astonishing character and quality, his everyday wines have been equally praised, and widely recognised for the tremendous value they offer. Telmo studied viticulture and oenology at the University of Bordeaux and was the winemaker at his family winery in Rioja, Remelluri, and then set off on his own in the early 1990s to discover new vineyards and regions all around Spain. He now makes a diverse range of wines with an emphasis on organic and biodynamic farming. His approach is steadfast and unwavering - he wants to see Spanish wine at the top of the worldwide quality tree, regarded like the greatest French wines. You know what? He isn't far off.