Domaine Amama Etxaldea - Iluni - Red 2023
Domaine Amama Etxaldea is located in Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, in the Basque Country . It was founded in 2022 by Joanes Haritschelhar , a winemaker trained in Bordeaux, and Naiara Cuburu , a former artist who became a market gardener and sommelier. The name "Amama" means "grandmother" in Basque, in homage to family memory and the nourishing earth. The couple took over a family farm to convert it into an organic vineyard, with practices inspired by biodynamics: sowing cover crops, using natural preparations (liquid manure, decoctions, herbal teas), working according to the lunar calendar, and grazing sheep in the vines to enrich the soil. The estate covers approximately 3 hectares , spread over several small plots with varied soils (sandstone, marl, ophite), located between Baïgorry, Irouléguy and Anhaux. The vinification is done in an artisanal manner, using indigenous yeasts, without additives or corrections, with minimal intervention in the cellar.
Iluni is a blend of Tannat, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon . The vines are grown on the Aztane plot, which is made up of ophites.
Grape varieties: Tannat, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
"The nose is elegant and mineral, with notes of fresh blackberry, graphite, garrigue and black pepper. On the palate, the energy of the ophite soils is felt: an angular, straight, precise wine, with fine but vibrant tannins."