Txakoli NARRASTI

Description

Txakoli Narrasti

NARRASTI, in Basque reptile, is a tribute to all the reptiles that inhabit the Sorgintxulo vineyard, such as lizards, snakes, serpents and especially the lizards, both the western green (Lacerta bilineata) and the green-black (Lacerta schreiberi).

This veneration of reptiles is expressed metaphorically in this txakoli, since it symbolizes the moult. A moult that materializes in the “loss of the skin” of a txakoli that we would call “classic” or “Getaria” profile, to grow through a more personal and complex elaboration, where fermentation is experimented with together with the skins of a part of the harvest, and a subsequent aging in different materials, such as wood and clay.

PREPARATION

Harvest and vinification:

Manual harvest in 10kg box. Careful selection of grapes in the vineyard with the aim of directing the different fractions of production.

“fermentation with skins”: it is selected in the vineyard in the area structured in trellis, where through viticultural techniques such as pruning and leaf stripping, greater sunlight is sought for the berries in order to obtain greater phenolic maturity of the skins. Once in the winery, most of the grapes are destemmed, although a small part, around 10%, is left with the stems. Fermentation is carried out by the indigenous yeasts present in the skins, maceration is carried out until the end of fermentation for 3 weeks. Afterwards, it is pressed and a first blend is made with the direct press fraction, which is then aged.

“direct press”: it is selected from the area structured in trellis or pergola. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts multiplied from the stem of the vat. Static destemming, pressing and cold gravity decanting for 36 hours. Low-temperature fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Once fermentation is complete, one part is blended with the “fermentation with skins” fraction and the other goes to a stainless steel tank where it will be aged on fine lees.

AGEING
The NARRASTI (reptile) concept also encourages playing with the different “skins” of the tanks, which is why ageing will be done in different materials, wood, clay and stainless steel, in order to obtain different textures in the txakoli.

“fermentation with skins”: a first blend will be carried out in which said fraction will be blended with a “direct pressing” part by means of aliquots in two tanks:

400-litre French oak barrel for 3 uses.
225-litre clay vat.
In both tanks, the wine will be aged on fine lees for 11 months, where a complete malolactic fermentation will take place. It will be aged on fine lees for 11 months in a stainless steel tank, where a complete malolactic fermentation will take place.

Final blending and bottling:
The different fractions are blended in a stainless steel tank, and are cold-stabilised for 1 month. The percentage of the fraction fermented with skins in the final blend is around 10% of the total.
Before racking, a light sulphiting on fine lees is carried out (16 mg/l SO2 Total). It is then bottled with a waning moon and a day of fruit (all rackings are done on a waning moon and a day of flower or fruit), without filtering or clarifying.

Final production 1,664 bottles.

TERROIR:
3 hectare vineyard located in Andatza (Aia), with a steep slope and organized in terraces, and surrounded by forests and pastures. Spontaneous vegetation cover.
Training system: 1.90m high trellis and espaliers (double cordon)
Altitude: 300m
Exposure: south
Soil: shallow clay loam texture, with mineral horizon of calcareous slate (calcareous lutite).

VITICULTURE:
Ecological, regenerative and biodynamic. Maximum respect for the biodiversity of the agroecosystem.