Artuke Mixed Pack ($349 case price, 6-pack)

$350.20 / 6-bottle case SAVE $53

2022 Trascuevas Blanco:

(RP93) In its third vintage, this first and only white wine in Artuke’s line up, is a blend from old vines from Ábalos, San Vicente and Baños of 90% Viura and 5% each of Malvasia and Palomino. Half of it was aged in 600-litre foudres and half in concrete, for close to a year. Only 10% new oak, the wine is lactic and smooth with aromas of flowers and herbs.

2022 Paso Las Manas:

This is 100% Tempranillo from the highest (red) vineyard in the region in Samaniego (720m). The vines were planted in 2013 and are trained on sticks, as traditional as possible. Due to the height, it is cooler and too cold for Garnacha or Graciano. Clay soil covered in rocks.

RP94: “This is more serious, slightly riper (but with the balance the whole range showed), juicy and young, a little closed, with fine tannins. 7,000 bottles were filled in December 2023.”

About the producer:

Artuke is one of the stars of the portfolio, and, arguably, the region. The name stems from brothers Arturo and Kikede Miguel, who have transformed their small family winery into a powerhouse of terroir and ‘vineyard-first’ winemaking. Their 22 hectares of mostly bush vines are divided into 32 plots from the villages of Baños del Ebro, Samaniego and Ábalos.

Their father, Roberto, a fourth-generation grape grower, stopped producing wine in bulk in 1991 to make his own young vintage wines which he sold from the back of his van across Basque country. Arturo joined in the early 2000’s with a degree in Agriculture Engineering and a Masters in Winemaking. At the time ‘alta expresíon’ wines were all the rage, deviating from the past with their focus on long-macerations, 200% new oak and super concentration. This did not last long because, for Arturo, it was all about balance and freshness. After a soil study of their plots, Artuke returned to the ways of the past. Arturo is one of the staunchest proponents of vineyard classification, emphasizing the terroir and the provenance of the grapes as being most important. A true original, he believes in ‘putting the land in the barrel’, which includes co-fermentation, even though his schooling taught him differently. Vintage variation is ok, according to Arturo, as you must work with what nature provides every year. Kike joined the team in 2010 and spends his time in the vineyards, focusing on working the land as it was done fifty years ago. Artuke’s wines are all harmony and complexity and are some of my favourite wines. It can’t be a coincidence that Arturo, like me, is a big fan of Bruce Springsteen.