2010 Ameztia ‘Cuvée Pantxo’ Irouléguy"
(wines lined up in reverse order from Right to Left)
Tasting Notes:
This August TWITs meet up was a truly fabulous event
held at
Le Caveau Fine Wines and
hosted by Mrs. Debbie and Jaffet. The 5
gorgeous wines we tasted were crafted in the Basque region of Spain, and
featured some grape varietals I had never heard of, which are unique to the
region. All the wines were hand-selected
by the ever-exceptional Eric, and all cost under $30.
Mrs. Debbie planned a superb & educational
event for us. Debbie specializes in
game-basedlearning techniques, and also has a keen interest in the Basque country
(Jaffet’s ancestry partially originated there).
After feasting on a spread of authentic Basque hors d’oeuvres, cheeses,
and Mediterranean lamb, we were treated to an educational power point about
Basque wines. Then we kicked off our
wine tasting with a fun and creative game that helped us remember a lot of the fun
facts we heard in her presentation.
So here are some of those fun facts…
First, what we refer to as Basque country is not actually country in its own right, but rather
a region of
Northern Spain which occupies approximately 8000 square
miles. Nestled between the borders of
Spain and France in the Western Pyrenees, this area is comprised of 2 regions:
the Basque Autonomous Community and
the Chartered Community of Navarre.
Side Note:
One thing I learned about Basque names is, they’re pretty confusing. They all have at least 3 weird and disparate
spellings, with different pronunciations.
As you will see below.
3 Ancient Provinces of Basque Autonomous Community:
1.
Álava
(Basque = Araba),
2.
Biscay
(Spanish = Vizcaya, Basque = Bizkaia)
3.
Gipuzkoa
(Spanish = Guipúzcoa)
Other Fun
Facts about Basque country & it’s wines:
·
The origin of the Basque language is unclear,
and is one of the few surviving languages in Europe that pre-dates the Indo-European
languages.
·
The wine predominantly associated with
traditional Basque culture is Txakolina.
It’s a light, refereshing, high acid
white wine which often has a soft natural fizz (I’ll explain why later), and
pairs perfectly with the simple, seafood-centric and tapas cuisine of the
region. Most Txakolina is white, but a few producers are experimenting with
reds and rosés.
·
The grape varietals used in Txakolina are highly
dominant Hondarrabi Zuri (white) and Hondarribi Beltza (red).
·
Txakolina may also be called Txakoli or even Chacolí. The latter may be
spelled Txacoli or Chakoli. The Basque like to keep it straightforward.
·
There are 3 Txakoli DOs - Getaria Txakoli,
Bizkaia (Vizcaya) Txakoli and Alava Txakoli.
We got to taste the first 2.
·
The vast majority of Txakolina is consumed in
Basque country, in the summertime. The 1
exception is the United States, the only other country which consumes any
appreciable quantity of Txakolina.
·
In addition to Txakolina, Basque country also
produces Rioja Alavesa, which is mostly Tempranillo with some Garnacha, Mazuelo
and Graciano.
·
Txakolina is usually fermented with the native
yeasts in tightly sealed steel tanks.
This captures carbon dioxide, which imparts the natural effervescence I
mentioned earlier.
Our Basque tapas menu included Ms Debbie’s
delectable selections of:
MEATS:
Bonito del Norte (tuna in olive oil)
Piquillo peppers stuffed with Bonito
tuna
Ventresca Tuna – (Belly fillets in
olive oil)
Lamb sliders from Café Sababa
VEGGIES:
Crunchy sweet white garlic
Sweet white garlic with olives, peppers
and capers
Gordal olives stuffed with Seville
orange
Goral Olives stuffed with jalapenos
Thick white asparagus spears
Guindilla peppers
Greek salad
Rosquillas (ring shaped Picos
Breadsticks)
CHEESES:
Manchebo cheese sampler -including a
baby manchego (everyone’s favorite)
Idiazabal Sheep’s Cheese
Ronal (made in the Pyrenees)
Many of these delights can be ordered
through La Tienda (
www.tienda.com)
Reception
Wine
Name: 2013
Ameztoi ‘Hijo de Rubentis’ Methode Champenoise Rosé
Blend: 90%
Hondarribi Beltza (red grape) and 10% Hondarribi Zuri (white grape)
Eric’s Tasting Notes:
Bright, salmon-pink with a strong mousse. Deep
nose of blood orange, toasty dark berry and sea air. On the palate the flavors
slowly build to fresh, riper fruit with bright acidity and spice notes. The
flavors slowly evolve into a long dry finish. This more resembles a Grower Champagne than the regular Rubentis
Txakolina bottling.
Eric is a riot… Salmon-pink with a strong mousse
Our Impressions:
Everyone really liked this one. Dry, balanced acidity. Probably the tiniest and most delicate
bubbles I’ve ever seen in a Methode Champenoise. What’s not to like?
Wine #2
Name: 2014
Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina
Blend: 90%
Hondarribi Zuri and 10% Hondarribi Beltza
Eric’s Tasting Notes
Bright briny sea salt combined with limey fruits.
Fresh and eminently quaffable. In the
traditional style of Getaria, this light and crisp wine is bottled with a
little bit of residual CO2 to give it its signature natural spritz.
Our Impressions:
Star fruit, freesia, citrus pith. Bracing, refreshing acidity.
Wine #3
Name: 2013
Doniene Bizkaiko Txakolina
Blend: 100%
Hondarribi Zuri
Fresh aromatics reminiscent of fennel and citrus
tones on the nose, the palate is texturally pleasing with a faint, bitter note
on the finish that is typical of Hondarribi Zuri. Made from 100% free-run
Hondarribi Zuri, aged on the lees for 3 months before bottling.
Our Impressions:
Voluptuous & full bodied with savory cheese
notes. A honey-like sweetness and hints
of melon and citrus. Drinks like a
Chenin Blanc. Paired well with the
Basque pickled items.
Wine #4
Name: 2013
Gorrondona Tinto Bizkaiko Txakolina
Blend: 100%
Hondarribi Zuri
Eric’s Tasting Notes
Aromas of green peppers and spices are followed by
red fruit. On the palate the wine exerts flavors of crushed minerals. Medium
tannins yield a light and refreshing finish. This red txakolina is a distinctive wine made from Hondarribi Beltza
sourced from a 2 hectare plot of 150 year old, pre-phylloxera vines
Our Impressions:
Nose: scallions, oak, green pepper, brambleberry,
strawberry jam, and creamy notes. Palate: fruit forward, dark berries,
herbaceous & woody.
Wine #5
Name: 2010
Ameztia ‘Cuvée Pantxo’ Irouléguy
Blend: 60%
Cabernet Franc and 40% Tannat
Eric’s Tasting Notes
This wine is very aromatic, with dark, dry
blackberry fruit, lavender, poblano pepper and exotic spices on the nose.
Incredible balance on the palate, solid mid-palate for longevity with the
perfect amount of ripeness and acidity keeping it all fresh. Precise with a
long finish. The Cuvée Pantxo is named
for close family-friend and vineyard manager Pantxo Indart. The grapes are
sourced from his family’s vineyards and vinified by Ameztia. The grapes are
100% de-stemmed and crushed in a vertical press and fermented for 15-25 days
with native yeast. This is aged for 15
months in one third French oak with the rest in stainless steel tank.
Our Impressions:
Nose: mushrooms, funk, barnyard. Like changing the oil in your car. I got some sulfur gas, but no one else did
(maybe because I got the first pour?).
We also got chocolate cocoa powder and some resinous notes, “like a Buddhist
retreat” (i.e. incense). “It’s complicated” – in a good way. Palate: similar to a Plan de Dieu.
Debbie’s Wine Game
This was played in a similar manner to
Who Am I, but here, each person got a card attached to their glass (which they
weren’t allowed to look at), and tried to guess what was on it by asking 3 yes
or no questions to someone else in the room.
All of the cards had bits of information from Debbie’s
presentation.
Connie won the game and was rewarded with a lovely bottle of wine!
