Txakoli KATALIN Iturzaeta

Txakoli Katalin Iturzaeta

Antonio Aranzábal, a notable Basque industrialist who died in 2012, wanted to pay tribute to the “amama” Kattalin Iturzaeta with the recovery for viticulture of the lands that he inherited from her in a few years when the txakoli did not have the relevance that now and the lands they were mainly destined to the planting of fruit trees, mainly apple trees. Thus, the winery became in the last quarter of the 20th century, even before the creation of the D.O. in 1990, the first in the area to acquire a temperature-controlled stainless steel tank, a technology that is undoubtedly essential for the production of quality whites. He repeated that same visionary gesture in 2000, being the first to place a tasting note on the back label of a txakoli that by then had already acquired the category of myth.

The tiny plot of Aitako, facing south-southwest and vines never less than twenty-five years old and sometimes almost one hundred years old, is located in the interior of the municipality of Getaria, between Mount Gárate (278 meters) and the Cantabrian coast, on the way to one of the neighborhoods (Meaga) of the population that, due to its microclimate, accounts for practically all of the local vineyard. The soils are mostly clay covered with sandstone and the vineyard, which hardly reaches 100 meters in altitude due to its proximity to the sea, is generally conducted with wire (formerly whale bones were used as support) at a height that allows sufficient distance with the soil as to avoid that the excess of humidity typical of the Atlantic climatology spoil the fruit.

As a kind of magical homage to the traditional matriarchy of the region, there are two women who are depositories of the past and present of the house: the one, Kattalin Iturzaeta, who with her extraordinary courage (a lung was removed and still raised the impossible slopes of the farmhouse) and an entrepreneurial character knew how to inspire the wine-growing resurgence of the property and the area, and Fabiola Soto, a graduate in Chemical Sciences and winemaker, one of the first techniques to reach the land of txakoli (at the beginning of the 90s ) guided by a personal and professional interest in the vinification of white wines, a long experience that has led her to achieve a deep knowledge related above all to the enhancement of their aroma.

This select txakolí comes from the mixture of Hondarrabi Zuri (known in the Basque-French country as Courbu Blanc) and the red version of the same variety, which of course is vinified as white and manages to make this txakoli an unusual form of blanc de noirs in the heart of the Denomination, Getaria. A second touch of uniqueness is offered by the seven months of aging in contact with its lees, which achieves a spectacular texture and a significant reduction in the acidic sensation typical of the most traditional txakoli.

The balance is undoubtedly its best value, with a low alcohol content and an acidity that the remarkable and well-executed aging on the lees manages to somehow soften. The very fresh nose exhibits citrus and green apple aromas with a certain creaminess of white fruit (due to the lees), as well as a marked character of herbs and sea breeze that amplifies the sensation of freshness and lightness. It is in the mouth where both the aging on lees and the weight of the red grape, with its succinct but powerful appearance of red fruit, push the wine to a unique dimension where the balance of acidity and alcohol lengthens the expression and gives it a cerulean gesture (like ripe plum skin) truly exceptional.

TASTING NOTES
Yellow hue with golden reflections due to the blend between white and red grapes, both indigenous. Deep apple aroma accompanied by soft herbaceous and balsamic notes. Citrus tones offer a great sensation of freshness. Sensation of volume with a lot of fruit weight. Unctuous and velvety thanks to its aging on lees. Soft carbonic notes and a good balance between alcoholic strength, acidity and salinity due to the particular climate of its vineyards. It is thus an elegant wine with a pleasant and intense aftertaste that invites you to enjoy it on any occasion.