Izar Leku

Though the seacoast towns of the País Vasco may seem worlds away from Rioja, they in fact lie little more than an hour’s drive (if you’re driving like a Spaniard) over the Sierra Cantabria from the Rioja Alavesa. It is this close cultural connection which led Artadi’s López de Lacalle family to develop an exciting new project of stunningly high-quality traditional-method sparkling wine made from Hondarribi Zuri grown in the Getariako Txakolina zone (though not carrying the DO). Here, in the coastal town of Zarautz, they have collaborated with grower Inaxio Manterola for the sea-kissed, rippingly high-acid raw material ideal for two and half years of sur-lie aging before disgorgement with no dosage.