Azul Y Garanza Naturaleza Salvaje Tinto

Fernando and Maria Barrena grew up in Carcastillo in the heart of the Baja Montana region of Navarra. As children they played in the old abandoned co-op winery in the village, and explored the abandoned vineyards in the hills around it. In the 70’s and 80’s people were paid to rip up their vineyards and not produce grapes. They both went to vinicultural school where they met Dani Sanchez and together they decided to revive the vineyards and winery in the village, using their passion for natural grape growing and winemaking to guide them. They bought and restored the old winery with its many small concrete tanks, and found incredible old parcels of vines in the hills and near the Bardenas Reales Desert. The name Azul y Garanza refers to the two colours that when mixed produces the colour of red wine. 

There are two mains areas of vineyards for Azul. In the pre-Pyrenees foothills near the village of Carcastillo, and in the gently rolling hills bordering the Bardenas Reales Desert (largest desert in Europe!). Both areas benefit from the influence of both the desert and the mountains. The viticulture is absolutely natural and uses many bio-dynamic practices, though they are selective due to the unique natural of their terroir. Many of their vineyards are rehabilitated old vines, some at least 100 years old, that have been loving returned to health. But it is the hot days, cool nights, minimal rainfall of the Baja Montana region, and the natural viticultural practices that gives the freshness in the wines throughout the lineup. Given their location and the health of the vineyards, they feel that the simpler the winemaking the better the wine will be. The old village co-op winery that they took over and restored had lots of small concrete tanks, and very few large ones, with enough space to ferment their whole harvest at once. This means wines can take their time to ferment and therefore, minimal intervention, such as minimal sulphites, which is in fact the only treatment on any of their grapes or wines!!

The Naturaleza Salvaje is complex natural wine made from Garnacha that was aged 6 months in amphora & 6 months in used 300 L barrels. Medium bodied on the palate, it has bright and leafy flavours of wild red fruits and fresh picked herbs.