Aseginolaza & Leunda - Cuvée Las Santas, Navarra, Spain (2020)

TASTING NOTES

A really special wine. Desiccated strawberries and roses, a little tilled earth and forest floor and a gentle, super pretty lifted note of crushed violets. A wine that exudes tension between its earth/savoury tones versus aromatic florals.   

Las Santas is composed of all the single-vineyard plots that in years don’t yield enough fruit to make into individual bottlings. They are the highest altitude and coolest vineyards, including Otsaka (540m), Distingo (655m), Valdillerzo (585m), and Karatea (445m). These non-irrigated, 80-year old, ungrafted bush vines grown in calcareous clay soils are a reflection of Navarra's elevated terroir. A bottom of whole bunch grapes is topped with 50% destemmed grapes in the fermentation tank which is followed by 9 months of ageing old french barrels.

This winery emerged from the vision of Jon Aseginolaza and Pedro M. Leunda, environmental biologists who transformed their passion for wine into a pioneering venture in the historic vineyards of Navarra.

Navarra's viticultural evolution, often in the background of its famous neighbour, Rioja, has experienced significant shifts. Originally, Navarra's winemaking identity was intertwined with Garnacha grapes. However, to expand its market reach, the region began adopting Tempranillo and other international varieties, inadvertently diluting its unique viticultural identity and yielding subpar examples of varieties that should not have been planted there.

Jon and Pedro diverge from this path, focusing on rejuvenating old vineyards, especially those rich in Garnacha located in the limestone-rich northern subregions. These non-irrigated bush planted vineyards, characterized by their hilly locations, ancient vines, and diverse soil types ranging from calcareous sandstone to clay, reflect the region's unique terroir. They are not only preserving Navarra's winemaking legacy but also infusing it with new vitality.

Their approach to winemaking, favouring minimal intervention, results in wines that are authentic, lighter-bodied, and true to their origins.