Itxas Harri 'Beltza'
Garnacha & Tempranillo, 2021
País Vasco > Navarra > Spain
Beltza is a traditional Basque table wines made by two friends, honoring the food memories and relationships made at the communal table. Harvested from sustainably farmed 30 year old vines of native Garnacha and Tempranillo. The grapes for Beltza, grown on exquisite limestone soils, are 90% destemmed and given a brief cold soak, then fermented with native yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, with maceration throughout. It then ages in stainless steel until bottling the following spring. Beltza is fruit-forward, bright, and crushable with a mineral edge.
Garnacha & Tempranillo, 2021
País Vasco > Navarra > Spain
Beltza is a traditional Basque table wines made by two friends, honoring the food memories and relationships made at the communal table. Harvested from sustainably farmed 30 year old vines of native Garnacha and Tempranillo. The grapes for Beltza, grown on exquisite limestone soils, are 90% destemmed and given a brief cold soak, then fermented with native yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, with maceration throughout. It then ages in stainless steel until bottling the following spring. Beltza is fruit-forward, bright, and crushable with a mineral edge.
Garnacha & Tempranillo, 2021
País Vasco > Navarra > Spain
Beltza is a traditional Basque table wines made by two friends, honoring the food memories and relationships made at the communal table. Harvested from sustainably farmed 30 year old vines of native Garnacha and Tempranillo. The grapes for Beltza, grown on exquisite limestone soils, are 90% destemmed and given a brief cold soak, then fermented with native yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, with maceration throughout. It then ages in stainless steel until bottling the following spring. Beltza is fruit-forward, bright, and crushable with a mineral edge.
Blends: 50% Garnacha / 50% Tempranillo
ABV: 12.5%
Soil: limestone
The Story: Itxas Harri, located in the village of Monteagudo in the northern Basque region of Navarra, is a project from Ignacio Ameztoi and his long-time friend and winemaking partner, Iñaki Guelbenzu. Wines from Itxas Harri defy standard logic, as the Spanish Basque Navarra region lies inland, yet the wines have restraint and freshness with lower alcohol levels which we associate with the coastal areas in Spain, and coincidentally Itxas Harri translates to ‘sea stone’ - reminiscent of the gravelly limestone from which these native varitals are grown. Beltza is a traditional Basque table wines made by two friends, honoring the food memories and relationships made at the communal table.
Personality: An elegant, lower-alcohol, refreshing red that has a mineral edge from limestone soils, and sea spray on the breeze.
Harmony: Grilled artichokes, fresh humus, roasted eggplant, and kebabs.