Tartalo by Oxer Wines

Tartalo is one of Oxer Bastegieta's most singular wines, drawn from a single 0.7-hectare plot planted in 1920 in the Barranco de San Julián, Elvillar, Rioja Alavesa, at 600 metres on very poor calcareous soils yielding just 3,000 kilograms per hectare. Eighty-seven percent Tempranillo, 10% Viura and 3% Graciano, fermented with indigenous yeasts in 1,000-litre French oak vats and open 500-litre barrels, then aged 12 months in used 600-litre Austrian oak. The name evokes a Basque mythological cyclops, ancient and elemental. The wine reflects that: structured and mineral, with dark cherry, floral and spice notes and a long, defined finish built for ageing. Exclusively imported into Malta by Briffa Wine Selections.