Santa Cruz de Artazu blanco 2018

Wine description for Santa Cruz de Artazu blanco 2018 by Artazu

Colour & appearance

Bright, luminous gold – clear and youthfully fresh in the glass.

Nose

Quince and yellow apple meet a vibrant citrus thread. Beneath lie subtle spicy and mineral nuances that lend depth to the nose without overwhelming it.

Palate

Creamy on entry, then increasingly taut and grippy. Richness and linearity form a rare alliance here: the vibrant acidity effortlessly carries the intensity of fruit without the wine ever feeling heavy. A white wine of genuine presence and structure.

Finish

Long and invigorating, with the subtle bitterness typical of Garnacha Blanca – a closing note that keeps the palate alert and calls for food.

Terroir & origin

The grapes come from two vineyards in Valdizarbe, the northernmost tip of Navarra, at 450 to 600 metres’ altitude. Calcareous clay and sandy soils shape its minerality; Atlantic winds and Pyrenean coolness bring pronounced diurnal temperature swings that preserve acidity and freshness in the grapes. Conditions scarcely imaginable elsewhere in Spain.

Grape variety & vinification

Garnacha Blanca – an indigenous white grape of the Ebro region, long in decline, here vinified as a single varietal with conviction. Fermentation takes place in 500-litre oak casks, followed by maturation on fine lees in stainless steel tanks. The large cask format keeps the wood in check and lets the fruit speak – a deliberate approach by Juan Carlos López de Lacalle, who founded the estate in 1996 and has farmed biodynamically since 2011.

Food pairings

Hake with salsa verde – the herbal freshness of the sauce mirrors the wine’s citrus line. Green asparagus finds an equal partner in its creamy texture. Regional and harmonious: marinated Piquillo peppers from Navarra and Roncal cheese, whose nutty ripeness underscores the mineral side of the wine.

Special notes

There are few Garnacha Blancas with such a wealth of personality. This wine comes from a project that has brought the variety back into focus in Navarra – and it shows why that was necessary: structured, multi-layered, and possessed of an elegance rarely found in Spain.