Bodegas Artadi, "Artazu" Garnacha, Pasos de San Martín, Navarra, Spain, 2016

Overview of the Wine
Artazu, a project from the same producer of Artadi, Juan Carlos Lopez de la Calle, strives for great quality Grenache. In Navarra, Juan discovered mind-blowing old vineyards and allowed them to fully express their potential for depth and personality at Artazu. The winery and vineyards are located in the most northern zone of Navarra at an altitude ranging from 400 to 600 meters.

Artazu's top wine is called "Santa Cruz". It is produced from mostly 100+ year old hillside vineyards of Grenache. The winery also produces a line of wines with the name Artazuri that is made from slightly younger vines. These represent tremendous value.

Natural and Organic.

Grape / Blend
100% Garnacha

Origin
Navarra, Spain

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The Garnacha we find at Pasos de San Martín has a bright red ruby colour which creates light and transparency in the glass. In the nose we notice forest floor aromas and blue flowers; it is clean and penetrating. In the mouth is energetic and fruity, with delicate and fresh tannins. It is a wine full of power and authenticity.

95 Points - James Suckling
A round, fruity red with plum, berry and cherry character. Some orange-peel and floral undertones. Full-bodied. Delicious. Drink or hold.

92 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Surprisingly enough, I found more Mediterranean notes of herbs, oregano and sun-dried tomato in the 2016 Pasos de San Martín than in the 2017 Santa Cruz de Artazu, despite the cooler vintage and the cooler zone in San Martín de Unx. This had a short élevage of only seven months in 500-liter French oak barrels, and the oak feels very integrated, with the wine coming through as floral and fruit driven. There is always an acute note of violets in this wine. This is nicely textured with fine-grained chalky tannins and more freshness on the palate than what the notes in the nose might point at.

Product size: 750ml