QUAFF RATING
3 – Pre out out
REGION
Rioja Alavesa
GRAPES
Garnacha Tinta
ABV
14%
WINEMAKER
Roberto Viccente
FARMING
Vegetarian Vegan Practising Organic
VINEYARD
The grapes for this rosé were sourced from 60-year-old Garnacha bush-trained vines, planted on chalky-clay soils. The vineyards sit at 790 metres above sea level, meaning the grapes benefit from warm days followed by cool nights and undergo a perfectly paced, slow ripening. This allows them to accumulate great intensity of flavour whilst retaining acidity. These old vines are low yielding, around 5 tonnes per hectare, but the fruit that they produce is extremely concentrated. Harvesting is done by hand.
WINEMAKING
Upon arrival at the winery the Garnacha grapes were gently pressed and underwent a short maceration (approximately 1 hour) in the press itself to extract aroma and a delicate pale pink colour from the skins. After this, the must was transferred to temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks and was clarified by flotation. Once the desired clarity was achieved, fermentation at cool temperatures of 14 to 16°C ensured that the delicate and perfumed aromas were preserved in the wine. The wine underwent a period of ageing on its lees after fermentation to add texture to the palate, but didn't go through malolactic fermentation in order to retain its vibrancy.
Producer
Owned and run by Lalo Antón and his family, Izadi, which means ‘nature’ in the Basque language, is a project rooted in a passion for gastronomy and wine. The estate was founded in 1987 by Gonzalo Antón, Lalo’s father, who, at the age of 37 and with a background in restaurants, decided to create his own winery with the aim of producing modern, perfumed, food-friendly wines that are true to their roots and a natural expression of the area. As well as the winery, the family also run the Michelin-starred restaurant, Zaldiaran, in nearby Vitoria.
The Larrosa wines are a new project from Izadi, created to showcase the quality of fruit from old bush vine Garnacha. The vineyards are located between 600-800m above sea level, in the village of Tudelilla in Rioja Alavesa. Larrosa’s high-altitude sites benefit from warm days and cool nights, resulting in perfectly paced, slow ripening. This, combined with the old vines’ low yields, produces excellent fruit intensity, balanced by fresh acidity and perfumed aromatics. The wines display a vibrancy few can rival at this price point. The Larrosa Blanca, produced from Garnacha Blanca vines planted in the 1960s, has superb purity of fruit, combining aromas of lemon peel, pear and honeysuckle with zesty acidity. The Larrosa Rosado is made from 50-year-old Garnacha vines. Hand-picked and made exclusively from free-run juice, this is a light, delicate rosé. The Larrosa Negra is a wonderfully fresh expression of Garnacha. Planted at 790 metres above sea level and aged for 6 months in old American and French oak, it has a juicy core of red cherry fruit and subtle spice aromatics.
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