This venture is the result of joining several vineyards in order to have a commercially viable volume of wine in an area dominated by smallholdings. The owners are also winemakers: Guillermo Iturriondobeitia, who tends four hectares in Arrankudiaga (the Basque names don’t exactly roll of the tongue!),Alfredo Egia (six hectares in Balmaseda) and Oxer Bastegieta. Grapes are also sourced from Orozko, a village in the province of Bizkaia where the winery is located.
Although inland, all of their vineyards present significant differences among them. In Arrankudiaga, the influence of the sea means mild temperatures so grapes ripen earlier. In Orozko, just 9km away, the vineyards lie on a valley facing Álava, the Basque Country’s southernmost province, while mount Gorbea acts as a natural barrier against the sea’s humid winds. Grapes take longer to ripen here, as is the case with the vineyards in Balmaseda, a valley that faces Burgos in the north of Castilla y Léon.
In terms of grape varieties, Hondarrabi Zuri Zerratia (the Basque name for Petit Courbu) dominates over Hondarrabi Zuri, txakoli’s dominant variety. According to Guillermo Iturriondobeitia, Petit Courbu planted inland produces wines with structure and alcohol; but Hondarrabi Zuri rarely goes beyond 12.5% alcohol in this area and its evolution is not good. Petit Manseng (Izkiriot Ttipia in Basque) is also found in their vineyards. Average yields, which are linked to soil depth, are about 8,000 kg per hectare; shallow soils are less productive.
Bizkai Barne released its first wines in the 2012 vintage. Their total production ranges between 55,000 and 60,000 bottles. Their entry-level txakoli, Mendiolagan (€9), represents most of them (40,000). It is a fresh wine with citrus notes that can also be found under the brand Adore.
The rest of the range is composed of single-vineyard whites that reflect the distinctive character of the three villages that form part of the project -winemaking facilities enable to work separately by plots and grape varieties.
Grapes for Otxanduri (3,000 bottles, €11) are sourced from Arrankudiaga. With 15% of Riesling in the blend, the style is floral and smooth on the palate with well-integrated acidity. Egia Enea (12,000 bottles, €14) is a 100% Petit Courbu from Balmaseda aged under lees for almost a year and usually bottled in August. It displays a complex nose with infusion herbs and a round palate that maintains the region’s distinctive acidity. Finally, Lexardi (1,000 bottles, €24), also from Balmaseda, is a barrel-fermented txakoli with a complex nose (sunflower seeds, petrol, citrus fruit) and well-defined palate. Petit Courbou accounts for 80% of the blend and the rest is Petit Manseng. Bizkai Barne is currently doing trials with amphorae and skin-contact.
