The 2021 Artazu "Santa Cruz de Artazu" Blanco is certified organic Garnacha Blanca from three parcels in Artazu on poor, well-drained silt and calcareous sand soils at 450–600 meters — a grape that was nearly lost in Navarra, rescued and given serious treatment: free-run juice only, fermented 50/50 in stainless steel and 500-liter French oak barrels, aged on the lees for over two and a half years before release. No malolactic conversion, no shortcuts. Juan Carlos López de Lacalle has been making the case since 1996 that Navarra deserves the same attention as Rioja — this wine is one of his strongest arguments.
94, RP - "The village white 2021 Santa Cruz de Artazu Blanco was produced with Garnacha Blanca, a variety that was almost lost. They have two certified organic vineyards. The wine fermented 50/50 in stainless steel and 500-liter French oak barrels, and it had a slow aging of two years and seven months with lees. It has a bright yellow color and an expressive, elegant and nuanced nose of white fruit, flowers, yeasts and nuts, subtle and elegant, with a sense of harmony and delicacy. It has 13% alcohol and a pH of 3.35, denoting medium ripeness and very good freshness, and it's supple, with a long, clean, dry, chalky and precise finish. "
