Exploring Navarra, Part 2/3
Pamplona, Spain
Tasted Monday, September 19, 2011 by subtlet with 889 views
Introduction
The second day of our trip to Navarra started out with a visit to the Vinos D.O. Navarra headquarters in Olite. 
We were introduced, to Pilar García-Granero, the head of the D.O., and she gave us an excellent presentation about Navarran wine. We were all hungry for information, and the presentation was very well put together. We received a great introduction to the variation of climate in Navarra. We also discussed the history of the region. It was fascinating to see that Navarra was historically very rich in viticulture. Over 120,000 acres of grapes, including 80 varieties that no longer exist in Navarra were actively cultivated before phylloxera! Like much of Europe, the spread of phylloxera decimated Navarran vineyards, and they are still are recovering to previous levels of production. It was also interesting to hear about the prominance, both historic and modern, of rose wine.
In conclusion, she discussed the latest efforts to raise the profile of Navarran wine in Spain and abroad. They have embarked on new marketing projects that really impressed me. Everything I saw was focused on promoting wine first, and Navarran wine second. Nothing I saw was focused on wine as a status symbol, or even a luxury item. A string of print advertisements featured cheerful people enjoying wine casually, and it even included one with a professional man drinking rose after work. They were organizing festivals that were well attended by young people, again seizing an excellent opportuniy to unleash the image of wine from the formal dinner table. These efforts, as well as the quality standards, and other image work they have done really left an impression of a healthy and sincere promotional effort. It's working too, and I was happy to hear that they've seen measurable growth after the introduction of their marketing campaign. This kind of strength strikes me as very promising in regard to the quality of the wine. With more exposure, an active DO, and growth, a market will exist for high quality wines and opportunities will exist for wineries to enter the market by competing for more than just the lowest possible price per bottle.
Next, we paid a quick visit to the Royal Palace of Olite, learned a little more about Navarran history and got some good views of the surrounding landscape before heading to out first tasting appointment of the day.
Flight 1 - Bodega Inurrieta (9 Notes)
Bodega Inurietta has been selling wine since 2001 and they are located in a beautiful building with lots of windows giving great views of the surrounding hills and vineyards. We were greeted by Jose Antonia Pellicer and Kepa Sagastizabal, the wine maker. We took a quick spin through their production facility, which was quite large and modern. They opened a good sized lineup for us to try. I felt that the Orchidea, and the Sur delivered fantastic value for their price points. The Orchidea has a light, and unique feel to it for Sauvignon Blanc, and the Sur is more of what comes to mind for a typical Spanish red wine done well, and at a great price. The Laderas delivers in spades, with respect to price and character. It delivers fantastic flavor and structure that is unlike anything I've ever experienced before. This is terroir. This is the sort of thing I hope to find whenever I get into a new type of wine. It's distinctive, interesting, and totally delicious.
Throughly excited after this tasting, we were led to another room where lunch was being served. We were introduced to two men cooking, who turned out to be owners of Bodega Inurietta! This was even more remarkable after eating, as you would've had no trouble convincing me that they were both chefs instead of winery owners! Apparently, it is a Navarran tradition that the head of household will do the cooking for guests. While this isn't a food blog, it's impossible for me to neglect the dishes served. There were chickpeas cooked in olive oil to create a broth so flavorful that I could've sworn that it was chicken broth. It was complex, delicate and delicious, and I really enjoyed sipping the Orchidea Sauvignon Blanc while devouring it. The main course was expertly prepared steak with the best roasted piquillo peppers I've ever tasted. With this, we drank the Laderas, which continued to deliver as wonderfully as it had when we tasted it earlier.
Flight 2 - Bodegas Ochoa (9 Notes)
After this fantastic lunch, we climbed back into the van to make our way to Bodegas Ochoa. 
Bodegas Ochoa is a family operation, and we were welcomed by Pablo Aguirre and Beatriz Ochoa, the younger of two daughters involved with the winery. She took us on a quick walk through the facility while discussing their operation. Most striking to me was the fact that they have an entire room devoted to experiments. Both her father, Javier, and her older sister, Ariana, are involved in the wine making. They each have their own experiments as well, with Ariana's projects denoted by pink bands on the barrels. 
That's exciting to me, because I like to see wineries that are willing to work with new grapes, and wineries that really put some effort into refining the selection of oak used on wines stored in barrel. We then returned to the reception room to taste. Again, the overall lineup was impressive, showing diversity and character. The fact that they have three offerings under $10 makes for an impressive entry level lineup for a wide variety of tastes. Again, Graciano made a distinctive and tasty delivery in the Mil Gracias. The age on the wines from 2005 deliver well integrated structure that I really appreciate. It really underscores the advantage that Spanish wineries gain from their culture of aging before release. It makes a lot of these wines so much more accessible to the majority of people who don't cellar their own wines.
Closing
I finished the day impressed. To me, starting from a complete unknown, Navarra was already showing great QPR, approachable wine, and grapes expressing unique flavor and character. All of this served to underline the strength of Navarra as a unique region.
Part 1:
http://www.cellartracker.com/new/event.asp?iEvent=15457
Part 3:
http://www.cellartracker.com/new/event.asp?iEvent=15642
2010 Bodega Inurrieta Sauvignon Blanc Navarra Orchidea 88 Points
Spain, Navarra
Scents of pineapple show in the glass backed by tart white grapefruit and a herbal touch. Light and crisp limes show on the palate. The limes dominate, but with purity and grace, and I like it. While the flavors are full, the acidity remains gentle and it gives a little zip on the palate reminding me of slightly sparkling wine. A touch of mineral flavor appears on the finish, and the gentle acidity settles into the corners of the mouth. At an estimated US retail of $12, this delivers great QPR for an easy drinking Sauvignon Blanc.
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2010 Bodega Inurrieta Navarra Mediodía Rosado 82 Points
Spain, Navarra
The nose shows simple aromas of strawberries spiced up a bit with some gooseberry scents. The wine has a tart touch on the palate with gooseberry flavors settling on the front. Some apples and faint cherry flavors show later. On the finish some green apple acidity is a little rough coming in but it dries nicely when it arrives.
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2009 Bodega Inurrieta Navarra Orchidea Cuvée 88 Points
Spain, Navarra
This wine is designed to be a rich take on Sauvignon Blanc. It spends time on oak and on the lees to fill it out. Both of these elements show on the nose with scents of buttered popcorn mingling with zesty limes. Bright acid lands on the palate immediately when tasted. The wine has an elegant touch with both limes and richness rolling in fully on the mid palate. The oak delivers some buttery character to the rich side of this wine. The acidity suggests both limes and green apples, and it plays in good balance with the heavier components. If you're open to full oak in your white wines, this is definitely worth checking out.
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2008 Bodega Inurrieta Navarra Norte 84 Points
Spain, Navarra
The nose reminds me of dark cherries baked into a pie. A touch of browned sugar scents run along the top and a faint herbal component adds depth to the nose. On the palate, cherries deliver immediately and tannins settle in on the mid palate and become big and firm on the finish. While big, the structure never becomes overly aggressive, and the cherry flavors linger well into the finish.
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2008 Bodega Inurrieta Navarra Sur 88 Points
Spain, Navarra
Blackberry stems and dark cherries show on the nose while delicate molasses and mineral scents linger in the background. Lots of complimentary fruits show on the palate. Cherry flavors are blended with apples and limes to give a bright touch to primarily dark fruit that lasts well. Tannins show up gently on the mid palate, and they grow slowly to become full on the finish without getting too heavy. Estimated price was $14, and this delivers very nicely at this price point.
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2008 Bodega Inurrieta Navarra Cuatrocientos Crianza 88 Points
Spain, Navarra
This is one of two tasting notes posted on back to back days. It's unusual, but the wine is new to me, and it was tasted in different settings, so I'd like to think that the adjacent notes have value as a pair. This was tasted in a focused setting at the winery in a lineup with other wines, and not with a meal. Good blackberry scents are noticeable right away. Dark earthy scents and some nutmeg serve well to add complexity to the nose. Blackberry fruit and stems deliver on the palate, and the stems transition to some drying tannins on the mid palate. The structure becomes dominant later, but really nice fruit is persistent underneath it all. I dig the flavors, but the structure is a bit big for me now. I recommend decanting it well now, and I assume that it would reward a year or two of cellaring very well.
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2007 Bodega Inurrieta Navarra Altos de Inurrieta Reserva 90 Points
Spain, Navarra
This wine rolls out of the glass with lots of heavy character. Thick blackberry scents rest upon wet black earth and oak while a touch of hibiscus adds a little brightness to the picture. With all of the darkness on the nose, I was surprised at how this started out on the palate. Tart red apples and some lovely raspberry flavors settle in right away giving the wine a friendly start. Tannins grow slowly on the sides of the palate to grip up a bit on the edges, but it stays to the sides, adding character to the delicious fruit. The acidity is tied in with this fruit, and it delivers very well from start to finish. Good fruit and good complexity combine to deliver some killer value at the estimated $26 price point.
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2007 Bodega Inurrieta Navarra PV 89 Points
Spain, Navarra
As one would expect, the nose here is deep and dark showing scents of plums wrapped in molasses and a touch of asphalt. Some fantastic and gentle cherries hit the palate on entry and dark richness quickly engulfs the experience. Some stem flavors show on the mid palate, and some nice lime flavored acidity sparkles lightly above the darkness. The structure here is still big, and I think another year in bottle will give everything a chance to become more integrated. 89-
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2005 Bodega Inurrieta Navarra Laderas de Inurrieta 92 Points
Spain, Navarra
The bouquet here is deep, rich, and absolutely lovely. Caramel scents are wrapped in dark and full blackberries set on a foundation of stony earth. When tasted, this wine delivers a fantastic pairing between dark and bright fruits. Raspberries and blackberries appear early. Some dark chocolate notes show on the mid palate, and dark plum flavors show on the finish while apples flavors appear. The apples and raspberries persist on the finish to provide a great counterpoint to the plums and chocolate. Lovely acid keeps everything lively, and a penetrating minerality is evident from beginning to end on the palate. The flavors are striking and unique. I've never had anything like this before, and I'm thrilled to see this delicious expression from a grape that's essentially new to me. Graciano from Navarra is on my map now!
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