Baigorri
Funded by his financial success within the travel industry Jesus Baigorri commisioned fellow Basque architect Inaki Aspiazu to design an incredible "state of the art" winery on (and in) a hill outside the town of Samaniego. The resulting glass cube, which sits atop the hidden winery dug a full sven stories into the hillside, houses a visitor reception area from which one can admire the rolling tempranillo vineyards of the Alavesa. A visit to the restaurant is a must as the food is some of the best we have eaten in Northern Spain-but call beforehand
Not only is the end result a triumph for modern architecture, but is also a very practical 100% gravity-fed winery of spectacular style that is hidden inside the mountain with the glass viewing cube on the top being the only thing to be seen from the road.
Led by winemaker Simon Arina Robles-yet another top quality young winemaker who also oversees the viticulture of both the estates own vineyards and those of the growers who suplly them- Baigorris style is unashamedly modern and is focused on extracting the maximum amount from the vineyards with as little handling as possible in the winery. They use the best and most subtle French and Eastern European oak, coopered by one of the best in France-(Francois Freres) for the Reserva and other top cuvees. The Maceracion Carbonica cuvee-reverting back to the style of vinification introduced to Spain by the Romans which ironically was then called the "modern method!!)-is produced in 100% stainless steel-although this is not supplied to the UK market.
The white (Blanco) is 100% hand picked viura, barrel fermented in French oak giving great texture and "peachy" characters.
The tempranillos are juicy fruit and mineral driven and yet well balanced and rich, with subtle texture drawn from both the tannins in the grapes and from the oak. The elevation of the cool Alavesa vineyards protected by The Cantabrian Mountains close by, helps ensure optimum acidity and sufficient time for phenolic and sugar ripeness
The grape selection process is rigorous and employs the latest computer driven technology to ensure that only the berries stipulated by Simon -sugar, phenolics, size and unbroken-get used in the cuvee.
Producer Information
| Established | 1960 |
|---|---|
| Size | 14 Hectares of Estate Vines + 100+ Hectares of ind |
| Website | www.bodegasbaigorri.com |
| Vineyards |
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| Wine List | View wines produced by Baigorri |
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