The Branco de Santa Cruz is a beautiful white wine from Telmo, produced in small quantities. This unique blend comes from several old vineyards in Santa Cruz, where the winery is located on the banks of the Bibei River, opposite the Ribeira Sacra appellation on the other side of the river. As with all old vineyards, a multitude of grape varieties are blended in the vineyard: Godello, Treixadura, Doña Blanca, and Palomino. The Santa Cruz Branco fermented in 600-liter barrels and foudres with indigenous yeasts, where it aged for approximately 10 to 12 months before bottling. With time in the glass, this wonderful, rare white wine reveals notes of yellow flowers, chamomile, fennel, and anise apple. The palate is medium-bodied with great freshness and acidity, with a slight bitterness on the finish. Santa Cruz is a beautiful but very scarce white wine, of which only around 2,500-3,000 bottles are produced annually. Galicia at its best: ABOUT TELMO RODRIGUEZ Winemaker Telmo Rodríguez is a phenomenon in the Spanish wine world. He studied at the University of Bordeaux and later in the Rhône region with the renowned August Clape. He was the winemaker at La Granja Senora de Remelluri, his father's bodega in Rioja. He left there to make what some call his own wines in various regions of Spain. Telmo lives in Madrid and drives to the various winemaking projects. In a short time, his wines have established themselves on the international stage. One example: Telmo has already been included among the top 10 Spanish producers in Tom Stevenson's Wine Report. Telmo's signature style is his choice of native grape varieties, which are also pruned according to native methods. This means he works exclusively with bush vines—vines that are not trained along wires but grow as independent shrubs. The bushes are also spaced further apart than with wire training. In warm Spain, this has two advantages: each vine receives sufficient moisture, even in dry vintages, and the bunches hang in the shade of their own leaves, reducing their stewing. Telmo prefers to work with old vines, so the roots are deep enough to find moisture. This also benefits the quality of the grapes. Old vines yield lower, but are of high quality and complexity. Although not formally certified, Telmo practices organic farming: he uses no artificial fertilizers or insecticides/pesticides