2020 Oxer Bastegieta Tartalo Rioja Alavesa

"The 2020 Tartalo is a new single-vineyard red from a plot with a field blend, 0.7 hectares planted in 1920 in the village of Elvillar (Rioja Alavesa) at 600 meters in altitude in the zone known as Barranco de San Julián on limestone soils that deliver no more than 3,000 kilos per hectare. This is the most calcareous vineyard he works. It's mostly Tempranillo with 8% Viura and some scattered plants of Graciano that fermented with indigenous yeasts in a 1,000-liter oak vat and matured in one single used 600-liter Austrian barrel. It's super floral and perfumed. Oxer thinks it's earthy and connected to the soil, but the wine has no rusticity whatsoever. There are notes of aromatic herbs, wild berries and flowers, and there is amazing balance. The wines are always vinified in a very gentle way, like an infusion; he tries not to extract, and the oaking is also very subtle. He has worked a lot to find the barrels that respect the character of each wine, and he came to the conclusion that Stockinger was the best cooper for his wines. The oak is just a little more noticeable here than in the Kalamity, and the palate doesn't have the same vibrancy, but it's an amazing wine and very impressive for a second vintage. In 2020, the plot suffered from mildew, and there are around 900 bottles from 0.7 hectares of vines. This was first produced in 2019, a slightly warmer and riper year than this 2020." - Luis Gutierrez Review Date: July 2022