Rioja Alavesa, Spain
Artuke
Bodegas Artuke is a small winery in Baños de Ebro in Rioja Alavesa, the smallest of the three Rioja subzones. Arturo and Kike de Miguel (whose names make up Artuke) are part of Rioja ‘n’ Roll, a group of young winemakers whose focus on terroir-driven wines is generating global interest in the diversity of wines produced in this area.
Their viticulture respects the different soils in their 25 hectares of vineyards. These range from the sandy soils from which “La Condenada,” a wine with remarkable delicacy and finesse is crafted to the chalk-clay soils that produce “El Escolladero,” another of their top cuvées.
Finca de los Locos
In 1950, Arturo and Kike’s grandfather spent all his money on a small fallow plot at 530 m elevation containing sandy limestone soils that his neighbours thought was madness (hence “locos”) as it was thought to have no potential for grape vines. The vineyard was planted in 1981 and today produces a superb wine that is a loving tribute to their grandfather.
Finca de los Locos is a blend of Tempranillo (80%) and Graciano (20%) from organically farmed bush vines. There is meticulous grape selection both in the vineyard and in the cellar before fermentation in steel tanks and new oak barrels. The wine is matured in a mixture of 500 and 3,500 litre French oak barrels and then bottled only with light filtration.
