Bodega Senorio de Otazu Otazu Chardonnay 2013
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Bodega Otazu is located next to Pamplona, only 60 km from the Cantabrian Sea and 35 km from the Pyrenees, Bodega Otazu lies nestled in a small valley crossed by the river Arga and surrounded by the sierra del Perdón and sierra del Sarbil. It is the northernmost red wine producing winery in Spain. The winemaking tradition of Otazu dates back to the 12th Century when, due to its proximity to the Arga River, these lands were part of the Camino de Santiago de Compostella, which is why the Señorío de Otazu (Feudal Estate) was established here with its vineyard. Later, in 1840, the winery was built, the first French-style one in Navarra located outside the urban area and as a single-estate vineyard. This building, which is currently preserved, has been rehabilitated and turned into a wine museum and art gallery, and has been extended with the latest winemaking, aging and bottling technologies. Architectonically speaking, its spectacular underground barrels room stands out, being internationally known as the “Wine Cathedral”.
The philosophy of Bodega Otazu is to produce premium wines expressing the essence of the terroir they are coming from. Therefore, the entire wine range is exclusively produced with the grape varieties grown in this single-estate vineyard of 116 hectares: Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Berués. Bodega Otazu is one of the 17 Spanish wineries which were given the highest certification and recognition in Spain – Pago Appellation of Origin – guaranteeing the selection as well as the unique and outstanding personality of each of its wine.
Otazu wines are marked by an exceptional microclimate with Atlantic influences, leading to wines with intense colors, aromatic and very fresh on the mouth. These are wines with unique personality due to the excellent acidity of its grapes, allowing the alcohol to integrate perfectly and also favor a long aging. Bodega Otazu is a 116 hectares single-estate vineyard, formed by a rich diversity of soils. Due to the decomposition of the marls on the one part and the alluvial soils on the other, up to 17 different types of soils have been identified. All this constitutes an ideal place for the cultivation of the vine, where the selection of the best grapes leads to wines with a marked personality, and different from one another.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Just north of Spain’s famous Rioja region, Navarra excels in the production of full and fruit-dominant reds and good quality, dry rosés. Garnacha holds most of the land under vine, with Tempranillo coming in second place.