Txakoli Ameztoi - Kirkilla, Getariako Txakolina, País Vasco, Spain (2019)

TASTING NOTES

Dry, ripe mandarin and tangerines with a tart kamquat back end, this wine really delivers on the lush orange citrus spectrum alongside some toasted marmalade and cracked sea salt. 

Barrel fermented in 600L old oak barrels and aged on the lees for 3 years. Ameztoi eschew the stainless steel that dominated the post-war era and take this back to how txakoli would’ve been made up until the 1940s. 

Since 1820, Ameztoi is a renowned producer in Getariako Txakolina, respected for producing both traditional wines in large barrels and as an innovator for their rosé txakolina and méthode traditionnelle sparkling wines.

Hand harvesting begins between the end of summer and the beginning of fall and fermentation is carried out in refrigerated stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts. The tanks are closed to preserve natural carbonation from fermentation - never through shortcuts such as force-carbonation. 

Ameztoi owns twenty hectares of estate vineyards located in the most privileged position in the region, facing the Bay of Biscay. High in the vineyards, planted on the dramatic seaside cliffs of the ancient fishing village of Getaria, one can see the town of San Sebastian, which lies just twenty minutes away along a serpentine highway.

Ignacio Ameztoi is the fifth generation of his family to carry on the tradition of making txakolina in the province of Getaria, and he has played a key role in the advancement of the region (including being instrumental in establishing the DOs for Txakoli) in the last decade.