At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Region
- Navarra, Spain
- Designation
- Vino de Pago de Otazu
- Main grapes
- Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay
- Red wine
- Pago de Otazu Tinto
- Defining feature
- Recovery of lost Navarra heritage grape varieties
The Producer
Winemaker José Luis Ruiz leads the recovery of lost Navarra heritage varieties at Bodega Otazu, an estate in the Pamplona area covering 110 hectares. Its main grapes are Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. Pago de Otazu carries the Vino de Pago designation, a Spanish category for wine from one estate, so the estate origin is printed on the bottle instead of a broad regional designation.
Fundación Otazu brings the estate's wine, art and cultural commitments together, with Guillermo Penso as President.
Place
Navarra's northern position brings cool temperatures and enough rain for Chardonnay. José Luis Ruiz describes Bodega Otazu as the northernmost vineyard in Spain to produce red wine. Harvests often continue into November, allowing extended ripening and aromatic complexity.
Story
The winery at Otazu dates to 1840. The property was later acquired as an abandoned estate. Some Navarra grape varieties had been lost, and José Luis Ruiz's team obtained ancient vines from a library of ancient Spanish varieties in Jerez and managed to grow them again. The old plant material returned to cultivation at Otazu as living vines.
Vineyards And Cellar
The underground barrel cellar called La Catedral del Vino has nine cement vaults and a press from the fourteenth century resembling an altar. Pago de Otazu Tinto spends 15 months in French oak barrels, an ageing period that can add spice and rounder texture through gradual oxygen contact. Pago de Otazu Chardonnay B.F. undergoes barrel fermentation and spends 6 months in French oak; the process brings a creamy mouthfeel alongside vibrant acidity.
Wines
The range includes Pago de Otazu Tinto, Pago de Otazu Chardonnay B.F. and Ozu by Otazu Chardonnay. Pago de Otazu Tinto is the red bottle, made from Cabernet Sauvignon. Pago de Otazu Chardonnay B.F. is the barrel fermented white. Ozu by Otazu Chardonnay is a dry white with a smooth finish.
In The Glass
The Tinto pours cherry red with good depth of color. Its nose is dominated by black fruit, with intense freshness and spicy, balsamic and mineral notes. On the palate, fresh fruit returns and the wood stays behind it instead of covering the flavor.
Pago de Otazu Chardonnay B.F. shows citrus and ripe apple with subtle oak nuances. Vibrant acidity supports a creamy mouthfeel from barrel fermentation. Ozu by Otazu Chardonnay brings ripe orchard fruit and citrus, with balanced acidity and a clean, expressive palate.
A Bottle To Understand It
Open with Pago de Otazu Tinto 2021. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and the red bottle in the range, while the other named wines are Chardonnay. The wine has good body and brightness. Its single grape puts Cabernet Sauvignon first, before the Chardonnay bottlings change the variety in the glass.
Anecdote
In 2016, Guillermo Penso founded Fundación Otazu and became its President. Before that, he studied Telecommunications Engineering at the Technical University of Munich, specializing in nanotechnology, and completed master's degrees in Philosophy, Business and Political Sociology. The foundation was established as a natural evolution of Bodega Otazu's commitment to art and culture, consolidating those commitments with wine. In 2020, Fundación Otazu received the ARCO Foundation's 'A' Prize for Collecting. The prize recognized Otazu as the sole space in Spain combining art, culture and wine production.
Final Word
At Otazu, a northern Navarra estate produces red wine, grows Chardonnay in cool conditions, and returns lost heritage vines to cultivation. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay carry the wine range, while Fundación Otazu brings art and cultural work to the estate.
Sources
- www.mtouton.com/producers/otazu
- aroundtheworldin80harvests.com/2019/11/01/making-wines-rescuing-vines-in-pamplona-the-lone-pago-of-bodega-otazu
- otazu.com/noticias/guillermo-penso-el-hombre-tras-la-fundacion-otazu-el-joven-mecenas-del-arte-y-el-vino
- www.mundovinum.co.uk/vino-de-pago-de-otazu/1289-pago-de-otazu-tinto-2021.html
- www.inbodega.com/products/pago-de-otazu-chardonnay-bf-2023
- www.inbodega.com/products/ozu-by-otazu-chardonnay-2023-d-o-navarra