José María Fraile and Alicia Erayalar, two wine professionals who had worked together in different bodegas in Navarra, such as Palacio de la Vega and Príncipe de Viana, decided to start their own project in 2003. With a little help from friends, family and a wine-grower partner, they combined Fraile's expertise in sales and management with Erayalar's winemaking skills.
They wanted to work in a relatively cool area that would allow them to produce fresh, elegant wines, and the Yerri Valley, in the Tierra Estella sub-region of Navarra, seemed perfect. Framed by the Urbasa and Andía mountain ranges, the valley marks the north-western limit of the DO and is just 50 kilometres from the Bay of Biscay, with a little Atlantic influence. Although the effects of climate change are also felt here, there are records of Cabernet being harvested on the 2nd of November in a cold vintage. Typically, cold nights at the end of summer and beginning of autumn allow the grapes to ripen slowly.
They currently grow eight hectares of rented vineyards and work with local growers throughout the year. Unfortunately, the land consolidation that took place in the area resulted in a significant drop in grape growing and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find old parcels that have escaped the grubbing-up. In most cases they were kept by the growers to make wine that they enjoyed drinking.
For a winery that started with Tempranillo, Cabernet or Merlot, Garnacha is a new and exciting focus. They also like the fragrant nuances and acidity of Graciano. In terms of white varieties, they are centred on Viura.
Concrete tanks are an essential tool in winemaking. Alicia Erayalar loves the aromas she can get from this material and the way it helps to reflect the character of the different soils. When oak is used, 300-litre oak barrels are preferred.
With 80% of its wine destined for export markets, Tándem produces around 150,000 bottles a year. The range starts with the entry-level Casual white and rosé. Ars in Vitro (Tempranillo with some Merlot, €6.50 in Spain) is the young, fruity red, but Garnacha lovers can look out for Inmune (€7.50), made entirely in concrete tanks. The Garnacha range continues with Invoca (€12.50 in Spain, less than 4,000 bottles), a spicy, minty red from small 40-year-old plots on clay-loam soils in Tierra Estella and Valdizarbe, and the more evocative and fragrant Incólume (€30, around 1,200 bottles) sourced from two very old vineyards on chalky soils at around 700m in the Yerri Valley.
The rest of the wines are made from Tempranillo and international varieties such as Cabernet and Merlot. While all three are present in Ars Nova (€10.50), a red aged for 24 months in concrete plus six months in oak barrels, Ars Mácula (€16) is a blend of equal parts Cabernet and Merlot, aged for 24 months in concrete plus 18 months in French oak. This is an easily recognisable Bordeaux blend, with fresh herbal notes and a good moderate maturity, in line with the climate of the area. Finally, Ars Memoria (€32) is a Cabernet aged for 18 months in 300-litre French oak barrels.
