TheWineScouts

A vibrant purple in the glass. Aromas of cassis, raspberry and liquorice. On the palate, full-bodied and hearty with further black fruit notes combined with a herbal edge and a pronounced miinerality. A richly structured red with well integrated tannis.

Domaine Arretxea is located in the appellation of Irouléguy deep in the heart of the French Basque Country of the Pyrenees and is run by Michel and Thérèse Riouspeyrous. They founded the domaine in 1989 by renting just 2 hectares of vines, and today the 8 hectare estate is at the forefront of wine production in the region. The vineyards are mostly planted to native grape varietals such as Tannat, Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng and all is done strictly according to biodynamic principles. The sandstone soils of Irouléguy are ideal for the aforementioned grapes containing as they do iron oxide, limestone and clay. This lends a mineral intensity to the wines and the reds in particular are earthy,and spicy with pronounced tannins. The estate red is a blend of 66% Tannat, 17% Cabernet Franc and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon to be precise and spends 10 months on its lees in cement tanks before bottling and is therefore unoaked.

Pays Basque, France

Red Wine

14% abv