Viña Zorzal are based totally in Navarra, the place they’re making not solely a lot of probably the most attention-grabbing wines in Navarra, however as well as in all of Spain. The winery was begun by Antonio Sanz in 1989 as Vinícola Corellana, producing some 2 million bottles. In 2007 his three sons began working proper right here, and this was the beginning of a change in course: instead of making lots of wine, the principle focus turned additional on prime quality and expressing the place through the lens of the native grape types of the world. The Sanz brothers divide the labour: Iñaki runs the winery and manages points, Mikel tends the vineyards, and Xabi does the marketing. I tasted with Xabi in London.
They now have 52 hectares of vineyards (all through six utterly totally different villages), owned and leased, lots of them outdated, and they also take a low-fi technique every inside the vineyard and the cellar. They do each factor manually, and don’t till the soil, using native crops as ground cowl and compost in order so as to add nutritional vitamins to the soil. Inside the cellar, fermentations are spontaneous and they also try to stay away from racking. There’s no filtration or fining and sulfites are utilized in very restricted doses.
The vines are untrellised (bush vines) grown on rocky, stony limestone-based soils with numerous ranges of clay content material materials. The native climate is kind of continental, with prolonged dry summers and chilly winters (rainfall is roughly 500 mm yearly).
Zorzal interprets as thrush, and the image of this fowl is their model. Along with their very personal wines, they’ve made collaboration wines with Michelini in Argentina (after a trademark dispute, they’re now mates) and a NatCool with Niepoort.
THE WINES
Viña Zorzal Sea of Targets White 2022 Navarra, Spain
Sea of Targets is a pair of collaboration wines with UK importer Indigo Wine. This was a warmth traditional the place they picked early and labored the skins a lot much less. Current and chalky with good fruit: white peach, pear, efficient citrus. Pretty textural. 92/100
Viña Zorzal Garnacha Joven 2022 Navarra, Spain
They work six utterly totally different villages and that’s the mixture of Garnacha from all of them. Delicate coloured, that’s aromatic with efficient pink cherries and a contact of ginger. Sappy and vibrant with a contact of pepper. Silky and delicious. 93/100
Viña Zorzal Sea of Targets Purple 2020 Navarra, Spain
That’s Garnacha. Current, displaying good aspect, and has a sappy edge to the redcurrant and pink cherry fruit. Stunning weight proper right here with some good acidity. Supple. 92/100
Viña Zorzal Galerga 2021 Navarra, Spain
That’s the second traditional of Garnacha from Galerga inside the north. 5 plots, vinified and aged individually after which blended in a 5000 litre foudre. Sweet, rounded and textured. Implausible and linear with good purity, good acid and some development. So good. 94/100
Viña Zorzal Senora de las Alturas 2021 Navarra, Spain
Single-plot Garnacha, fermented and aged in 500 litre barrels. Good texture and precise class with dried herbs, pink cherries and good weight and freshness. Juicy and refined. 94/100
Older notes:
Viña Zorzal Cuatro del Cuatro 2019 Navarra, Spain
14% alcohol. Graciano. Stainless-steel ferment, then matured in principally outdated oak of various sizes. Vibrant, juicy and supple with sweet, balanced strawberry and raspberry fruit, along with good acidity. Fashionable and trendy with lovely focus and brightness. In a light-weight, expressive vogue, that’s really good, with a dusty, dry finish that works pretty properly. 93/100
Viña Zorzal Malayeto 2019 Navarra, Spain
14% alcohol. The first of the distinctive parcels to be bottled individually. Garnacha. Stunning aromatics with sweet, floral raspberry and cherry fruit. The palate is rounded and trendy with lovely sweet fruit, a contact of cinnamon, some pepper and excellent brightness allied to the smooth ripe fruit. That’s elegant and efficient: such a surprising wine. 95/100
Viña Zorzal Señora de las Alturas 2019 Navarra, Spain
14% alcohol. Garnacha, outdated vines on private roots. Implausible and expressive with current cherry and plum fruit, a contact of spice, and good development. There’s finesse and purity proper right here with excellent stability. There’s a spicy edge to the tannic development that works very effectively. 94/100
Viña Zorzal Lecciones de Vuelo 2019 Navarra, Spain
14% alcohol. It’s a collaboration with Fredi Torres. Garnacha, complete cluster. Matured in a 700 Nomblot concrete egg and a used 500 litre barrel. Vibrant floral nostril with pink cherries, dried herbs and some pepper spice. The palate is current and energetic with raspberry and cherry fruit with some silkiness however as well as some acceptable development. Juicy and grainy. Very trendy. 95/100
Viña Zorzal Punto de Fuga 2018 Navarra, Spain
13.5% alcohol. It’s a collaboration with the Michelinis from Argentina. Full cluster Garnacha matured in two 500 litre barrels. Decreased on the nostril with some spice and pepper, along with some pure hints. Juicy, shiny and linear on the palate with taut raspberry and cherry fruit. Juicy and structured, and the low cost doesn’t detract from it an extreme quantity of. Such a specific wine, with potential for enchancment. 93/100
Viña Zorzal Punto de Fuga 2019 Navarra, Spain
13.5% alcohol. That’s complete cluster Garnacha. It’s pure, elegant and efficient with excellent finesse to the sweet cherry and strawberry fruit. Open and trendy with precision however as well as a silky richness. Has some spicy development, too. Very efficient. 95/100
Viña Zorzal Señora de las Alturas 2019 Navarra, Spain
14% alcohol. It’s a single parcel Garnacha from the Pontigos parcel, with historic pre-phylloxera vines nonetheless on their very personal roots. It’s in order that current, layered and intense. Current and crucial with juicy cherry fruit along with pink berries. Linear and centered with low extraction nonetheless lots of flavour. Has a slight spicy underlay nonetheless the main target is on the fruit. Very efficient and glossy. 94/100
UK agent: Indigo Wine