Today I
got a very crisp and fruitful Basque whitey for a change. Its origin is the young and approx. 147 hectares small Getariako Txakolina D.O. a bit east of San Sebastian. The Izaro is a 100% Hondarribi Zuri based wine. An autochthonous Basque varietal which is well know for being the white brother of Hondarribi Beltza. Another
auto' varietal which is considered to be highly related to Cabernet Franc. Who was there first? Dunno! Zuri
however seems to be a pedigree Basque varietal (apparently close relations to
the wild varietal Makatza).
The
colour of the Izaro was very bright. More precise: very close to colourless and totally
transparent. Almost like water with a minor hue of yellow (no green reflexes). Besides
that I spotted a few very fine Tximparta bubbles (sometimes not such a good sign!). The nose was intensely fruitful
and highly vivid. I got fragrances of lime, a bit unripe lemons, freshly cut branches,
sea salt, a few seaweeds and mild petrol. I might describe it as a very
expressive and absolutely not boring bouquet! The rather strong and lively
acid provided the Izaro with boatloads of crisp life! Futhermore I tasted plenty of lime,
lemon and green rose-apple (really?) flavours. A nice portion of
assorted green herbs (more northern European ones) and hints of woodruff sherbet
(Ugh!), too. All in all a lean, fresh, a bit snappy and quiet determinant white wine.
Interesting structure and decent length. Not a really a dry fellow! I got a little bit of residual sugar. Surely interesting, not trivial and
recommendable stuff!
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