Santa Cruz de Artazu tinto 2020

A cool, taut Garnacha built on finesse. Raspberry and cherry carry the fruit, joined by violet and a fine herbal spice. The 14.5% ABV sits dry and well-supported in the wine, without ever weighing it down.

The Santa Cruz vineyard lies in the Valdizarbe sub-district, Navarra's northernmost corner, at an elevation of 450 to 600 metres. Here, Atlantic winds meet Pyrenean coolness; the pronounced swings between day and night temperatures preserve the grapes' acidity and freshness. Calcareous clay and sandy soils lend the wine its minerality. This vineyard holds the estate's oldest vines: pre-phylloxera, over a hundred years old, and still growing on their own roots.

Pure Garnacha. In 1996, Juan Carlos López de Lacalle acquired the derelict village cooperative in the medieval winemaking village of Artazu, after Randall Graham of Bonny Doon sparked his enthusiasm for the variety's forgotten potential – at the time, it was used in Navarra almost exclusively for rosé. Vinification takes place in 500-litre casks, larger than standard barriques, so that the oak recedes and lets the fruit speak. Since 2011, the estate has farmed its vineyards biodynamically.

Juicy red fruit, lively acidity, fine-grained tannins. The finish is long, saline and mineral, with a structure that is lean rather than broad.

Rack of lamb with rosemary, mushroom risotto, grilled vegetables, or medium-aged Manchego.

Ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines are a rarity. The wine regularly scores over 95 points from James Suckling.