Astobiza 2019

In fact, I couldn't find the word Txakoli on the label of the 2019 Astobiza, which now has a more modern look and feel. Unfortunately, the wine was showing some reductive, sulfur-like aromas—I guess from the recent bottling—and was kind of hard to read on the nose. It comes from the fermentation of the seven different plots of Hondarribi Zuri grapes from the estate vineyards planted in 1996. It's bright and pale, with faint white fruit and flowers, more vinous than the wines from the coastal zones. It's clean, fresh, balanced and nicely crafted—you see the hand of a good winemaker here. It's medium-bodied, has 12.5% alcohol and feels refreshing and bright. 50,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2020.