2020 Artuke Paso Pies Negros

Artuke is a small family business in Baños de Ebro in the Rioja Alavesa. The brothers Arturo and Kike de Miquel (Artuke is a combination of their first names) have been working for their parents' company since 2003 and 2010, respectively, who now advise the boys in the background. The focus is entirely on making terroir driven wines with vineyard expression, a Burgundian complexity and elegance.

Pies Negros is the 'vin de village' of the Artuke brothers. The 8 different plots where this wine comes from are located in Abalos. All planting in gobelet between 530 to 600 m altitude. The Pies Negros is a blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano. Some of the grapes are still trampled every year à l'ancienne, hence the name Pies Negros or 'black feet'. In the good years, Artuke de Pies Negros are only produced on average around 10,000 bottles

In the plots, during an initial selection, the pickers themselves determine which trusses are picked. These are then picked in small baskets and transported further in large baskets with a maximum height of 10 cm, so that the grapes cannot crush each other and the fruit remains beautiful and undamaged. All bunches are then checked and sorted on the selection table in the bodega. The bunches are de-stemmed and then transported by gravity to the stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Only native yeasts are used. Malolactic fermentation in wooden foeders of 500 and 3500 liters. In the same casks, the wine is further aged for 15 months.

The Artuke Pies Negros is dark ruby red in the glass. A characteristic that keeps coming back and also comes to the fore in this Pies Negros: fraîcheur. This is a firm, yet elegant style, with a lot of red fruit and a minimal influence of the wood, which is always perfectly interwoven with the beautiful acids that give the Tempranillo a lot of freshness. Very juicy with a long finish that makes you want another glass.