Image 1 of 1
The harvest An unusually warm winter and fine weather brought with it one of the earliest bud breaks we can remember. Despite the fact that we had a complicated beginning of spring with a lot of rain, by the time of flowering the weather had changed, being excellentand obtaining an exceptional fruit set. We enjoyed a summer with above-normal temperatures and the lack of rainfall meant that the harvest was brought forward, with the harvest beginning on September 12. Despite a faster than expected ripening cycle, the balance between acidity and ripeness was excellent. The grapes entered the winery with perfect parameters for vinification, which was carried out withoutany incident.
Vinification 42 Zura by Gorka Izagirre, the first and only still wine to incorporate French oak vats in this winemaking cellar for 100% of the wine ("zura" means wood in Basque). The wine spends 42 in oak vats on its fine lees at the beginning only of the winemaking. The making of the 42 Zura begins with the must from Hondarrabi Zerratia grapes. The clean must is poured into a fine-grained French fermentation oak vat from the Allary Tonnellerie in France. The must undergoesalong, cold fermentation before it is racked and stored for approximately a further 7 months on the lees in stainless steel. Finally, following a series of racking's and decanting for at least another 4 months, the wine is bottled.
The ageing Approximately 18 months after the harvest, 42 Zura is bottled and stored for further ageing, which helps the subtle wood integrate better into the wine and lets the character of the grape fully develop, preventing any excess of oakaromas or flavours.
Tasting notes:
Colour: Golden yellow colour with green hues, clean and bright.
Nose: It has clean and intense aromas of ripe fruit and citrus. Aromas of toasted bread and pastry, typical of the subtle and quite limited oak contact.
Palate: Powerful and silky palate with a ripe and ample base, with notes of citrus and tropical fruits accompanied by smoky, toasted and buttery subtle notes; all wrapped in fresh acidity that promises a long life and fantastic evolution of the wine.
Food pairing: This wine benefits from the character of the Hondarrabi Zerratia grape and the protection of the fine-grain French oak that gives it elegance and structure. It pairs well with fish, meat and cheese, but its body makes itaversatile choice for many dishes