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2021 Irouléguy Blanc “Hegoxuri”
Domaine Arretxea
Arretxea’s flagship white, blended from the three local white grapes and raised in a combination of demi-muids and foudres. Bone-dry and bracingly tart, with notes of lime, ginger, and salted caramel. Decant it to best enjoy it young; with time, its edginess will soften and develop into something truly spectacular.
—Anthony Lynch
| Wine Type: | white |
| Vintage: | 2021 |
| Bottle Size: | 750mL |
| Blend: | 60% Gros Manseng, 35% Petit Manseng, 5% Petit Courbu |
| Appellation: | Irouléguy |
| Country: | France |
| Region: | Southwest |
| Producer: | Maison Arretxea |
| Winemaker: | Thérese & Michel Riouspeyrous |
| Vineyard: | 15 to 20 years, 3 ha |
| Soil: | Sandstone |
| Aging: | Fermentation and aging in foudre, 600-L demi-muid (40%), and the rest in stainless steel |
| Farming: | Biodynamic (certified) |
| Alcohol: | 14% |
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About The Producer
Maison Arretxea
About The Region
Southwest
Tucked away beneath Bordeaux and buffeted by the Pyrenees to the south, this expansive region of France, commonly known as the Southwest, is home to a diverse number of viticulture and gastronomic traditions as well as cultures. Though Cahors might be the most well known (and easiest to pronounce) appellation from the Southwest, the importance and influence of French Basque culture cannot be underestimated. Irouléguy, the primary appellation of the Basque region of France produces full-bodied, hearty red wines, produced from Tannat grape (known for its tannic qualities). Dry whites from Irouléguy are also produced from Petit and Gros Manseng. Northeast of Irouléguy is the sweet wine-producing appellation of Jurançon. These moelleux wines made from Petit and Gros Manseng have a storied history in France, from being the first wine region to have a vineyard classification, which dates back to the 154th century, to being preferred wine of royalty dating back to the 16th century as well as the French poet Colette.
More from Southwest or France
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6-Bottle Sampler France
Sampler Includes:
2024 Saint-Chinian Rouge “Cebenna” • Les Eminades $29
This stylish cuvée of mostly Grenache captures France’s Mediterranean in all its fragrant glory. Though people often call Languedoc reds “soulful,” Patricia and Luc Bettoni have managed to produce a red that is almost breezy: notes of silky berries and bright rhubarb that follow with clean minerality.
2024 Gigondas • Domaine de Durban $34
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2021 Côtes du Vivarais Rouge • Domaine Gallety $34
With its gorgeous and lifted aromas of black pepper, briny black olive, and violets, the nose is all northern Rhône. When you take a sip, though, the freshness and elegance of Syrah are intermingled with the earthiness, herbs, and concentration of southern Rhône Grenache.
2023 Côtes-du-Rhône “La Sagesse” • Domaine Gramenon $47
You rarely find this kind of full flavor, succulence, and savoriness on such a graceful and lively frame. Biodynamic farming and 70-year-old vines are no doubt two factors behind the finesse on display, but it also might just come down to the fact that the Laurents are some of France’s winemaking geniuses.
2023 Vacqueyras Rouge “Doucinello” • Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux $42
Named for proprietor Serge Férigoule’s daughter, this red effectively showcases that fresh wine doesn’t just mean fresh fruit notes. The flavors are mostly deep and dark—stones, licorice, black olive, and blackberry—but the frame is elegant, yielding a mesmerizing yin and yang.
2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Piedlong” • Famille Brunier $84
Blending mostly Grenache from Châteauneuf’s highest elevation with Mourvèdre from the sandy lieu-dit of Pignan, the Bruniers have produced a Châteauneuf-du-Pape with uncharacteristic finesse and immediate pleasure.
Normally $270.00
SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $199.00
(a 25% discount)
2022 Saint Joseph Rouge “La Gloriette Vieilles Vignes”
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2022 Irouléguy Blanc “Hegoxuri”
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2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
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2023 Cahors
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2023 Irouléguy Rouge
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2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien” MAGNUM
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2023 Saint-Péray Blanc
Domaine Clape France | Northern Rhône
Grenache: The Ambassador of Terroir
What ties the wines in this sampler together is the quintessentially “earthbound” quality of the grape
2022 Saint Joseph Rouge “La Gloriette Vieilles Vignes”
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2021 Hautes Alpes Blanc “Grains de Clotinaille”
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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312