Aurkitu Garnacha Viñas Viejas 2020

Navarra, Spain

Producer: deAlto Rioja y Más

Aurkitu means 'to find' in Basque. The wine is intense, with bright red fruits, hints of spice and beautiful texture. There is a coolness to the fruit set against the irrepressible generosity of Grenache. Delicious.

Picture a region of breathtaking beauty and peacefulness, not unlike the majestic beauty of Rioja Alavesa, where the old bush vine vineyards gently nudge themselves up into the foothills of the Sierra Cantabria. Add in a speckled, patchwork of spartan vineyards and dusty roads, where the only traffic jams are those created by sheep crossing the road, and you have the Baja Montaña region in Navarra.

Our fruit is sourced from old vineyards around the villages of Leaché and Aibar in the very eastern reaches of Navarra, close to the border with Aragon. Later ripening than in neighbouring Rioja, the grapes possess a freshness and vitality that is absolutely delicious. The vineyards are a mix of bush-vine (en vaso) and trellised and a very careful grading of all vineyard parcels is done prior to harvest. 

Hand picked and vinified using selected wild ferment and whole bunch parcels, the musts are handled gently to avoid over-extraction and retain the fruit essence. Post primary fermentation, the wine is pressed to predominantly older oak in order to preserve the wild, energetic fruit profile that defines this region. 

Suitable for Vegetarians & Vegans

Press for 2019:

• 94 points - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
  'It’s gorgeously ripe and beautifully lifted, showing blackcurrant, sweet cherry, smoked game and roasted not characters on the nose, leading to a flavoursome palate delivering lovely concentration and fleshy texture. Delectably persistent and lingering.'
  
  
• 92 points - The Real Review (Aaron Brasher)
  'Earthy, dark cherry, spice and dried flower aromas. There are really strong white pepper and blueberry flavours that dominate, together with very savoury and grainy tannins that add to the mouth-feel and texture. A far more savoury style of wine.'
  
  
• 90 points - Decanter (Indigenous Spanish Reds, Oct 2022)
  Typical Navarra fruit, strawberries, cherries, violets and cream. Full of lively juice, with a brisk line of acid and a rasp of tannin. Sweet finish.
  
  
• 16/20 Points Jancis Robinson MW OBE
  '100% Garnacha at 500–625 m elevation, south facing. Night harvest, stainless-steel fermentation, aged in oak barrels. Production: 22,000 bottles. Baja Montaña. Fruit-driven wine, sweet red fruit and candies. Easy drinking with the energy of youth. Elegant and precise with earthy flavours on the back palate that make you think of … Pinot Noir!'
  
  
• 90 points - Wine Pilot (Angus Hughson)
  'A very Spanish style of Grenache from the inland region of Navarra which shows another delicious side to this variety. It’s a deeply coloured and ripe version with plump and generous aromas of blackberry, black olive tapenade, baked earth and old oak aromas. There is then certainly good intensity of fruit and richness to the bone dry palate with fleshy dark fruit flavours and a little rustic edge thanks to meaty tones which are all well supported by supple tannins. It’s a chunky, food friendly, low acid red that will add a little Mediterranean flair to your next barbecue.'

Grape Variety: Garnacha

Colour: Red

ABV: 13.5%