2015 Uriondo, Bizkaiko Txakolina, Basque White, Spain.
The bright and zesty crisp Uriondo Txakoli is a pretty and dynamic summer white showing lots of lime citrus and high toned stone fruit along with bitter herb, steely mineral and a hint of Japanese spicy ginger. This very pale and tingling acid filled Bizkaiko Txakolina is made up of mostly Hondarribi Zuri, about 70% along with Sauvignon Blanc, known locally as Mune Mahatsa plus a bit of Folle Blanche, and known by the natives as Txori Mahatsa, the wine is almost all stainless steel fermented and raised, though surprisingly the Folle Blanche is fermented by itself in used American oak cask. The Atlantic cooling influence shows throughout in this finely detailed and light white wine, the vines are planted on sandy chalk and clay soils not too far from the Basque city of Bilbao. Uriondo is not an old winery by Spanish standards, starting in 1987, but it has certainly gained a great reputation for style and quality and I’ve been a fan for about 10 vintages now and this 2015 impresses for vibrancy and pleasure, it is nearly a perfect summer wine, refreshing and easy to love with a good long tangy finish with lingering citrus and green melon. This vivid white appears simple at first, but comes to life with complexity and verve with food and is a wonderful brisk low alcohol quaffer!
($21 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive
