ALFREDO EGIA
Bizkaiko Txakolina
País Vasco
Until the 1980s, Txakoli was an artisanally made, non-commercialised wine to be drunk at home and certainly not outside the Basque Country. Given the small size of the three Txakoli DOs, there aren’t big producers in any of them and sustainable and organic production is not widespread, mostly due to the challenges growers encounter in an area affected by dangerously high levels of rainfall and humidity.
Originally from Bilbao, Alfredo’s first connection to wine originates with his father, who introduced him to the vineyard and cellar work from a very young age. After completing his Agricultural Engineering studies, he worked his way through a master’s degree in Viticulture and Enology in Barcelona and later cemented his education by working for a couple of years in the Penedes.
One of the biggest and most evident influences on Alfredo’s work was undoubtedly his friend and mentor Imanol Garay, a Richard Leroy alumni and a wine-naturalist who contributed to Alfredo’s transition towards biodynamic farming and an all-round non-interventionist approach in the cellar.
Today he farms approximately 4 hectares of steep, south-oriented vineyards planted at Hondarrabi Zuri (Courbu Blanc), Hondarrabi Zerratia (Petit Courbu) and a few rows of Izkiriota Txikia (Petit Manseng). The soils aren’t tilled and remain untouched, stimulating the growth of a diverse cover. Furthermore, he has not used herbicides for eight years and plans to switch entirely to biodynamics within the by 2025, something that many considered untenable from a financial point of view.
Fermentations are always spontaneous and largely carried out in French oak barrels. Wines undergo a rather extensive lees ageing and part of the production is intentionally not topped up. The results express sincerity and remain true to the terroir, yet displaying captivating complexity framed by the mineral tones and a slight oxidative evolution, thanks to the omission of any SO2 in the ageing process.
Pictures by @thesourceimports
Izaki
Vintage 2020
Style White
Region Balmaseda, Bizkaiko Txakolina
Varieties Hondarrabi Zerratia, Hondarrabi Zuri
ABV 13%
Soils Limestone marl, clay, sandstone
Farming Organic, practicing biodynamic
Winemaking Izaki is the latest addition to the range. A new wine that comes from a blend of vineyards that began full biodynamic farming in 2021. 50% of the harvest is vinified in the same way as Rebel Rebel and raised in 400L barrels. The remaining half is instead processed in stainless steel. 2020 was the first vintage for this wine, it was bottled unfiltered with as little as 15mg/L of SO2.
Tasting Note
Rebel Rebel
Vintage 2020
Style White
Region Balmaseda, Bizkaiko Txakolina
Varieties Hondarrabi Zerratia, Izkiriota Txikia
ABV 14.5%
Soils Limestone marl, sandstone
Farming Organic, practicing biodynamic
Winemaking Whole bunches are hand-harvested and directly pressed into old French oak barrels (90%) and concrete amphorae (10%) where fermentation starts spontaneously. Malolactic conversion overlaps with the end of the alcoholic fermentation and finishes by the end of spring. The wine remains on fine lees in barrel, mostly topped up whilst a small portion is left un-topped, deliberatly allowing for some oxydation. 12 months later, the barrels are blended into stainless steel and bottled after a further six to ten months of ageing in vat. Rebel Rebel is neither filtered, fined, nor has added sulphur. 785 bottles made.
Tasting Note Dense, complex and layered. Fresher notes of citrus combine with attractive grassy and vegetable green tones, ending on a smoky and savoury finish.