Vinos Norzagarai ‘Arreta’ Rioja Tinto 2018
Location: Spain, Rioja
Winemaker: Santiago Norzagarai
Grapes: Graciano
Soil: Limestone, Clay
Winemaking: Arreta is hand harvested and put into tank for the indigenous yeasts to take over. It is racked, pumped-over, delestaged and all sorts of extractive techniques. It is pressed at dryness and laid to finish malolactic fermentation in large 500l barrels. Aged in these barrels for 14 months or so. Then stored in bottle for at least a year before its release.
From the Importer Selection Massale: ‘Arreta’ is 100% Graciano from 2 parcels. Mostly from Villabuena de Álava, the largest parcel is the least glamorous wine parcel you can think of. It is right on the road and next to the village’s sewage treatment plant. Yet it stands on slightly ferrous marls which promote leaf growth. To me Graciano has always been the most misunderstood variety of Rioja. Classically part of the typical Rioja Blend and mostly planted among Tempranillos and Mazuelos. Hence, harvested at the same time as Tempranillo in most cases (2nd half of September); way too early for Graciano. Most people in the village think Graciano is tannic, astringent, rough and rustic. I agree with them… when harvested as early as Tempranillo.
I harvest Graciano by the end of October, once I did so in early November. Graciano doesn’t pick up a massive amounts of alcohol and has great tolerance to botrytis. When late-harvested Graciano is packed with blueberry aromas, fine tannins and lingering healthy acidity.
Santiago Norzagarai is a Rioja producer making wines unlike any others in the region. Many things set him apart. First of all, he is from Buenos Aires, though he has lived in Spain for 25 years. Secondly, he is working in the Rioja Alavesa with organic vineyards. Thirdly, he is making non-oaky, not-overly-extracted, meant-to-be-drinkable wines with a “non-interventionist approach.” In other words, Norzagarai is trying to change the stylistic perception of wines in Rioja.
Norzagarai spoke to us recently on a video call about honoring the terroir of Rioja Alavesa and making wines that reflect more than just new oak:
“Every single vineyard is facing in a different direction–it has its own microclimate. It’s own soil profile, not compositions. The soil in Rioja Alavesa is all clay-limestone. But in terms of soil structure, we really have all sorts of aspects around here and I’m inclined to showcase that, rather than the Rioja gran riserva, etc. Rioja started as an appellation for the French to make wine when they got phylloxera. The French came down here because they found potential, not because there were crianzas, reservas, and gran reservas. I reckon the potential is mostly in this area. This is where there is the wine profile I am aiming at…We do lots of carbonic maceration wines here. When they’re well-made, they tend to go really well with local cuisine. There’s something to be explored there in that sense. The bold Rioja wines we were told we should be making with heavy oak, etc., this is certainly not the way for me.