Ostatu ‘Zabala’ Rioja Alavesa Blanco 2022

In their role as leaders for sustainability and regenerative farming in their native Rioja Alavesa, the Sáenz de Samaniego siblings obtained their organic farming certification for their entire production in 2022. This task was complicated immensely by the fact that, in Rioja, their dozens of tiny plots each had to be certified individually. The standard for organic viticulture is exceptionally high in Spain, making it a model for other nations. The fact that Ostatu owns and farms their single vineyards exclusively offers them total control from start to finish. Such is the dedication and commitment of the Sáenz de Samaniego family. If this were Piemonte, the wines would cost many times more than they currently do in Rioja Alavesa, exemplifying the inherent value there. 

Ostatu is the very essence of Mountain Rioja, and their Zabala single-vineyard Rioja Blanco exemplifies this, with the garnacha blanca grape acting as a prism to the extreme terroir. Accounting for less than half a percent of total production in Rioja, garnacha blanca has nonetheless long been part of Ostatu’s portfolio of vines. The family has only recently begun to vinify a varietal wine from Zabala, one of the highest-elevation plantings of the estate, at 687m above sea level. The risks of late frosts and delayed budbreak are always present, and production volume is diminished by the struggle of the vines, but the Sáenz de Samaniegos are keen to work with, rather than against, these attributes, resulting in an exciting and balanced wine, quite unlike most Mediterranean-style garnachas blancas.

Zabala provides complexity throughout, featuring golden apple and mountain herbs on the nose, and racy, tangy acidity on the palate, finishing with a satisfying chalkiness. It has all the qualities inherent in the best long-aged Rioja wines, making it very eligible for improvement with cellar time. Just 1949 bottles were produced in this vintage.

Vinification – After a manual harvest, 100% organic garnacha blanca grapes are gently pressed before fermentation with indigenous yeasts in two concrete eggs. The wine ages on its lees in the concrete eggs for eight months post-fermentation, followed by two years bottle aging. Afterward, the wine is naturally cold stabilized and gently filtered before bottling.