Community Tasting Notes 4

• forceberry wrote: 87 points

  May 7, 2021 - Mainly biodynamically farmed Tannat with some Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon in the mix. Macerated with the skins for approximately 3 weeks. Aged in concrete tanks for 10 months. 12% alcohol.
  
  Very slightly translucent black cherry color. Youthful, sweetish and somewhat primary nose with fruity aromas of blackcurrants and blueberries, some sweet black cherry tones, a little bit of jammy dark fruits, light marmaladey tones and a hint of iron. The wine is juicy, dry and vivid on the palate with an open-knit texture and a medium body. Youthful flavors of blueberries and wild strawberries, some juicy blackcurrant tones, a little bit of dark plummy fruit, light inky tones, a hint of leafy greenness and a touch of peppery and slightly ferrous spice. The structure relies more on the rather high acidity than on the relatively ripe and easy medium tannins that slowly pile up on the gums. The finish is long, dry and quite crunchy with flavors of ripe bilberries and blackcurrants, some inky tones, a little bit of brambly raspberry, light wild strawberry tones, a hint of stony minerality and a touch of sappy herbal spice.
  
  A lively, clean and accessible Basque red. Not a tough or challenging wine, but not a crowdpleaser either. Perhaps a bit too primary for its own good at the moment, making the wine feel very fruit-forward and almost candied in nature. The overall feel is quite straightforward and surprisingly friendly for an Irouléguy (after all, the region is known for the tannic, acid-driven reds) even though the wine isn't lacking in acidity or tannins in any way. Most likely the wine will improve with age once it loses its sweet-toned primary fruit, although otherwise the wine isn't really screaming for additional aging. Priced according to its quality at 17€.

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• Lype Likes this wine:

  May 7, 2021 - Quite tight and youthful package of black berries and dark fruit, clear presence of tannin but enough fruit and acidity to balance the experience, the tightness makes this a tad one dimensional at this point, will benefit from cellaring.

  Comment

• eboracum Likes this wine: 91 points

  December 30, 2020 - Arretxea is probably the best known estate in Irouléguy and on this showing its reputation is justified. A blend of Tannat, Cabernet franc and Cabernet sauvignon, it has a nose and palate entry quite reminiscent of Loire CabFranc with lively berry fruit, touches of spice and minerals and a leafy hint but adds to the more depth, generosity and backbone. Very good.

  Comment

• olioli wrote: 85 points

  February 29, 2020 - J'avais un meilleur souvenir d'un vin (lequel?) de cette appellation il y a quelques années...
  Nez muet.
  Pas vraiment de corps ici..
  Bouche aqueuse avec des tannins pas très agréable.
  35$Can, du vol..
  Ça va prendre un méchant bon vendeur pour me convaincre que ça va être meilleur dans qqes années..

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Wine Definition

• Vintage 2017
• Type Red
• Producer Domaine Arretxea
• Varietal Tannat Blend
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard n/a
• Country France
• Region Southwest France
• SubRegion Pays Basque
• Appellation Irouléguy

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 28 (67%)
• Consumed 14 (33%)

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