The village of San Martín de Unx in Navarra can be regarded as the entrance door to the Baja Montaña sub-area. The original facilities of the local co-operative date from 1914 when 192 vinegrowers joined forces. The buildings still stand in the town centre, but since 2000 all the wines are made in a new, modern winery with enough stainless steel vats to store up to 5 million litres plus and an ad-hoc area for bag in box.
Members own 600 hectares, 35% of which are traditional bush vines grown on slopes or terraces in San Martín’s surrounding mountains.
The current focus is on Garnacha, the traditional indigenous grape in the area. The single varietal entry level range comes under the brand Señorío de Unx and starts with two young wines: a red and white Garnacha, while the Crianza (€6) and Reserva (€76.5) are blended with Tempranillo.
More interesting is the new La Matacalva (€6.5). Named after a particular setting in the village, it has been aged in used oak in order to highlight the variety’s fruit expression. The packaging is far more eye-catching and it comes in a Burgundy-shaped bottle, as is the case with top wines Alma de Unx. These include a white version, aged in oak for eight months(€12.5) and a red one (€12.5) made with old vines and aged for 8-10 months in local oak. This is a complex, great value wine displaying herbs and scrubland aromas: the palate is powerful, yet approachable and it has a nice texture and good acidity.
The winery can be visited by appointment.
