Artuke Tempranillo 2019

The approachable and affordable 2019 Artuke is the only 2019 bottled, and it can give us an idea of what's to come: softer wines that are gentle and can be enjoyed early on... This would be a village red from Baños de Ebro (their village) produced with Tempranillo and 5% Viura from terraced vineyards above the Ebro River at 420 to 550 meters in altitude on clay, limestone and sand soils.

The full clusters fermented with neutral yeasts, and the wine was kept between three and six months in concrete. This is a textbook example of the category, vintage and grape, with intense aromas of black raspberries and licorice. The palate is soft and round, juicy and with moderate alcohol, very balanced and clean. They harvested it a little earlier, and it might have a little more Viura, which seems to have helped with balance and freshness. This clearly over-delivers for the (incredible) price. LUIS GUTIERREZ