Gorrondona
2007
12% alc.
Bizkaiko Txakolina DO, Spain
Bizkaiko Txakolina DO is one of the tiniest appellations in Spain, amounting to 144 acres spread throughout the Vizcaya Province (near Bilbao) with a soil that’s primarily clay with a slate subsoil. This is a harsh region for grape growing: The cool ocean breezes off the Atlantic’s Bay of Biscay keep the temperatures mild but also wet with 58 inches of rainfall annually. Yet Basque farmers, proud of their wine-growing traditions, manage to sustain their particular, locally popular wines. Like vinho verde to the west, the DO is principally a white wine appellation. Approximately 85 percent of the DO’s production is from the hondarribi zuri and folle blanche white grapes. But the Gorrondona winery, founded in 1996, produces along with its white wines this light red: It’s from the hondarribi beltza grape and fermented in stainless steel. The 2007 wine gives off a scent of cranberry and rose with a slight vegetal note. On the palate, the acidity is high, the tannins are firm but light; this is a dry, medium-bodied wine—almost Loire-like, comparable to a Pepière—with a touch of spice (that’s just short of “peppery”) and simple, concentrated flavors: a rich burst of berry and a touch of coffee. It’s lean, essentially and unfussily linear in structure. Not quite strong enough to be matched with steak—which is how I had it—but it would be a nice complement to bluefish or mackerel. A good, sneakily bracing wine from an obscure region. Importer: De Maison Selections, Inc. $29.99. 1/31/09
