Astobiza, Malkoa Rosé, DO Arabako Txakolina, Spain, 2024

Product code: 7119

Producer Profile

Astobiza is a family owned, single estate winery located in Okondo, in the Ayala Valley of Álava (Basque Country).

With just 7 hectares under vine, within one protected site at 250 metres above sea level, the winery operates under a pago style model focused on maximum terroir expression. Sheltered by the Sierra Salvada mountains and influenced by the nearby Cantabrian Sea, Astobiza benefits from a rare Atlantic microclimate that supports slow, balanced ripening and high natural acidity. Founded in the mid 2000s, Astobiza has quickly established itself as one of Spain’s reference producers for premium, age worthy Txakoli. Now a member of Grandes Pagos de España, the estate works exclusively with native Basque varieties—Hondarrabi Zuri, Hondarrabi Beltza and Izkiriota (Gros Manseng). Its wines are internationally distributed, positioned firmly within the fine dining and gastronomic segment, and recognised for redefining Txakoli as a serious, long lived wine style.

Viticulture

Planted in 1996, surrounding the winery at an altitude of 250 meters, south-facing on the southern slope of Mount Ganekogorta, in the municipality of Okondo. The vineyard is set on clay-limestone and slate soils, with extraordinary mineral richness.

Winemaking

Made from the native Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Beltza varieties. This txakoli has been aged on its lees for 14 months in an egg-shaped concrete tank, where the lees (yeasts) move continuously and spontaneously within a smooth, edgeless space, aided by the natural daily temperature oscillation between day and night. During this time, the wine self-stabilizes and gains volume on the palate, allowing all its components to integrate harmoniously before bottling, where it undergoes reductive aging to complete its refinement.

Tasting Note

Malkoa displays great elegance and finesse, reflecting a salmon colour and a frank aroma, highlighting mentholated and herbaceous notes of scrubland, with wild red fruits and mineral notes of a marked Atlantic character. On the palate, its balance, silkiness, and great volume stand out, with a very long, persistent, and savoury finish. It concludes with a mineral acidity-bitterness and has the potential to live for many years in the bottle.