Amburza 2021

Wine description for Amburza 2021 by Laderas de Montejurra

Colour & appearance

Purple-red, dense and youthfully vibrant in the glass.

Nose

Fresh and inviting: blackcurrant, dark berry fruit, accompanied by a fine vegetal note reminiscent of the cool high-altitude site. The bouquet is harmonious, clear and of good intensity.

Palate

Juicy onset with berry fruit and spice. The ripe tannins are present yet velvety and softly integrated. Full-bodied and rich, yet tighter and more tensile than previous vintages – with lovely drinkability and a clear structure.

Finish

Long-lasting, fresh and precise, with well-integrated wood and a mineral coolness that prevents the wine from ever feeling heavy despite its richness.

Terroir & origin

The vines grow in Tierra Estella, the coolest sub-zone of DO Navarra, on limestone and sandstone soils at altitudes of up to 700 metres. The 70 plots of Laderas de Montejurra lie on the Montejurra massif – a terroir that lends the wines remarkable freshness and minerality. The Valerio family has been rooted here since the 14th century; Emilio Valerio has run the estate since 1980.

Grape variety & vinification

A single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon – a grape variety with a long tradition in Navarra, not least due to its proximity to Bordeaux. Spontaneously fermented in large wooden vats, then aged for 12 months in new and used French barriques. Since 2014, French oenologist Jean-François Hébrard has brought his Bordeaux experience to bear – with a subtle hand, without overshadowing the wine’s sense of place.

Food recommendations

A wine for an autumn evening: herb-crusted rack of lamb, beef fillet in red wine jus or wild mushroom ragout with polenta. Also an excellent choice with mature Manchego.

Special features

Certified organic since 2002, worked with horses and without irrigation – the vines must fend for themselves. Compared to earlier vintages, the 2021 is less alcoholic and dense, but tighter and cooler – a Cabernet that speaks more of altitude than of sunshine.