San Martín de Unx: Championing village wines in Navarra

With a population of barely 400, San Martín de Unx has emerged as one of Navarra’s most distinctive Garnacha strongholds, thanks to its many wineries and the number of producers it attracts from beyond the village itself. “We have more wineries than bars,” joked Julián Palacios, viticulturalist, consultant and president of the San Martín de Unx Winery Association. This week, five of the association's 14 members gathered at BWW to present their collective brand, San Martín de Unx, the wine of aromas.

“The terrain and landscape shape our wines more than the soil itself given the abundance of natural vegetation surrounding the vineyards,” said Gonzalo Celayeta, who is the technical director at the San Martín cooperative, as well as consultant at Bodegas Unsi, founder of his own project and also  works with other producers.

Set between the Guerinda and Ujué mountain ranges, the local landscape lends the wines distinctive Mediterranean scrubland notes. San Martín de Unx also has the second largest surface area of Garnacha vines in Navarra. At a time when many rural communities face depopulation and neglect, the village is actively working against that trend. The participation of producers from other parts of Navarra who source grapes from San Martín de Unx is further evidence of this collective commitment. 

The wines presented at BWW illustrated the breadth of Garnacha expressions produced in the village, both red and white. The latter, now enjoying a revival in many wineries, was represented by Unsi Terrazas Blanco, a still white, and Kimera, a pet-nat made jointly by Celayeta and producer Luis Moya. Two markedly different rosés followed: the fruit-driven, raspberry-scented Alma de Unx from the cooperative, and the more complex La Huella de Aitana Cuvée Zen. Produced by Celayeta, this food-friendly, age-worthy rosé shows a colour that almost resembles a blanc de noirs.

Among the reds, Sara Valencia's G de Genaro 2023 delivered the area’s characteristic burst of herbal intensity. The granddaughter of winegrowers, Valencia grew up in Pamplona but spent her weekends in San Martín de Unx helping her father tend the family vineyards. Trained as an agricultural engineer, she reconnected with her roots thanks to a rural innovation project that enabled her to create a wine in honour of her grandfather. Today, her focus extends beyond winemaking to raising the profile of farming, promoting good viticultural practices, and safeguarding the region's vine heritage.

The most evocative wines came from Aseginolaza & Leunda, the project of two biologists from San Sebastián who bought a smallholding of very old vines in San Martín de Unx. Their Santa Zita stood out for its crisp, fresh character.  Even more striking was Lurralde 2023 from Bodegas Máximo Abete, run by sisters Joana and María Abete: a refined, delicate red from their old mountain Garnacha range, incorporating some Garnacha Roya (Grenache Gris) in the blend. The depth of old vines was also evident in  El Camino 2023 from Latido Wines, a project  led by Sara Martínez Lagos and León Flórez, a couple with extensive experience in wine exports.

The member of San Martín de Unx Winery Association are: San Martín de Unx Town Council, Bodegas San Martín, Bodegas Máximo Abete, Unsi Wines, Gonzalo Celayeta Wines, Aseginolaza & Leunda, LMT Wines, Bodegas Bhilar, Latido Wines, Gallina de Piel Wines, Amatria Vinos y Viñedos, Casa Genara, Raúl Pérez Compañía de Vinos (current owner of Domaines Lupier) and Julián Palacios.