Description

Viña Zorzal is located in the Southern part of the Navarra DO, very close to the border of Rioja. The larger parent house of Vinícola Corellana was founded by Antonio Sanz in 1989. The guiding principles here have always been sustainability and a return to historical grape varieties. With the coming of age of Antonios’ three sons, Xabier, Iñaki and Mikel, the winery Viña Zorzal was born. Like so many father/son stories, the children have adopted the idea of the father and taken it further. The farming is now organic and the focus is on making higher quality, site specific wines that respect history but also look to a brighter future.  Less is better, and non-intervention winemaking is the intended goal to show off the distinctive expression of special vineyard sites.

The Viña Zorzal earlier focus was on the recovery of old vine farms in Fitero, in the southwest of Navarra.  The new “Golerga” (Go-Lerga) project is a partnership with Xabi Sanz and Gonzalo Ibarrola Intxusta who farms the last remaining 12 hectares of prized old bush vine Garnacha on the Santo Tomas estate near the tiny village of Lerga (population 60).  While the dry growing conditions here are ideal for Garnacha, global warming and severe climate changes now prevents successful cultivation even a few meters higher due to the serious threat of frost and freeze.

This 2020 Golerga is the premiere release from Viña Zorzal.  The hand harvested fruit has been fermented in cement tank and aged 18 months in neutral oak foudres.

Indeed the wine is special!  Not only does the wine show off the great charms of ideally ripened Garnacha — warm, spicy, earthy-minerality, crushed ripe strawberries and raspberry.  This perfectly balanced wine displays a sense of place.  And a purity and rare transparency which can only be described as elegant.  Enjoy drinking over the next 7-8 years!