Zorzal Times Two Sale 1-20-24

 
Viña Zorzal, Navarra, Spain
 
We love the wines from Viña Zorzal. They’re a winery that’s not afraid to think outside the box in how they farm and vinify their wines. That’s lead to a lot of brilliant moments from regions that have been historically overlooked.
 
In 2007, brothers Xabi, Iñaki, and Mikel Sanz founded Viña Zorzal to craft single-vineyard, artisanal wines in their family’s home region of Navarra. Their entire Spanish portfolio offer outstanding value. These are wines that have tons of immediate appeal, with rich textures and juicy fruit flavors. They’re also loaded with character, with Viña Zorzal’s light touch in winemaking (low intervention, organically farmed fruit often from century-old vines) allowing the grapes and terroirs to shine through.
 
We think you’ll adore these wines, and are excited to share them with you at ultra-low prices.
 
In Stock Now from Viña Zorzal:
 
Viña Zorzal Corral de los Altos, Navarra 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Luis Gutierrez – Wine Advocate 92 points “All the guest winemakers that take part in the Lecciones de Vuelo joint venture with Viña Zorzal are offered to produce their interpretation of the paraje Corral de los Altos in Fitero. The 2018 Corral de los Altos is Zorzal’s own interpretation of a 45-year-old plot of 2.1 hectares of Garnacha planted on a north-facing stony part of the village. The grapes fermented in stainless steel with some 25% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in seven used (second and third use) 500-liter oak barrels. This has contained ripeness and a medium to full-bodied palate with the classical chalky tannins and texture from the limestone-rich soils and the length and tastiness they provide”
 
Viña Zorzal ‘Cuatro del Cuatro’, Navarra 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $29 special, 17 bottles in stock now
Luis Gutierrez – Wine Advocate 94 points “The pure Graciano 2018 Cuatro del Cuatro was first produced in 2015 as an homage to the Sanz brothers’ father, who kept his Graciano vines when the majority ripped them up. They have seen that, with a soft vinification, the variety is not as rustic as most think and, in fact, can be quite elegant. 2018 was a tricky vintage for the variety, and the wine has moderate alcohol (13.3%), a very low pH (3.35) and notable acidity (six grams of tartaric acid per liter). It was produced with grapes grown in the village of Corella (especially from a vineyard planted in 1978), which has more Mediterranean influence that Fitero, the other village where they have the majority of their vineyards. This is a super serious Graciano, fresher than the majority of varietal bottlings out there, as they have lost the fear of harvesting it earlier, and it delivers a very spicy wine, with lots of black and even white peppercorns. I think this is very much in line with the 2016. It matured in used oak barrels of different sizes, and they did a barrel selection to produce 2,900 bottles of it.”
 
 
Zorzal, Argentina
 
Not to be confused with the Spanish winery of the same name (Vina Zorzal), the Argentinian Zorzal makes groundbreaking, exciting wines in Gualtallary, some 50 miles east of Santiago de Chile, on the east side of the snow-capped Andes.  The ultra-modern, gravity-fed winery and its 173 acres of vineyards lie at 4400 feet above sea level, with cool breezes coming off the impressive backdrop of Andes Mountains. This is a wonderful place to ripen wine grapes.
 
It seems incredible to think that this sensation of a winery is so new. Ten years ago a new winery called Zorzal appeared in Argentina’s emergent Valle de Uco. Zorzal’s trio of Michelini brothers blended the freedom of New World winemaking with an appreciation for fine Old World wines and classic varieties. Then, in 2012, the global wine community took note of Zorzal: Robert Parker awarded their 2008 Porfiado, made in the winery’s inaugural vintage, 94 points. Two years later, Wine & Spirits Magazine included Zorzal’s Tinto de Tiza 2012 in its list of the best 100 wines for 2014. The name Zorzal had earned its place in the world atlas of fine wine.
 
Their best wine, the “Tinto de Tiza” is our best-selling Malbec. Like previous vintages, this has an excellent review (94 points, Wine Advocate). Fans of Malbec or the winery’s previous releases would do well to stock up.
 
In Stock Now from Zorzal:
 
Zorzal Eggo Blanc de Cal Tupungato 2019 750ml Displayed Price: $24 special, 19 bottles in stock now
Luis Gutierrez Wine Advocate 94 points “2019 was cooler than 2018, and the 2019 Eggo Blanc de Cal is even fresher and stonier than the 2018 I tasted last time. This wine is never about the grape variety, and it’s like liquid chalk, even more so in 2019. It matured in concrete eggs for 10 months. This is always produced from a limestone-rich plot in the Tupungato Winelands. Half of the wine fermented with the skins, but it doesn’t have any “orange” characteristics. It’s sharp and super tasty. Amazing value. 7,775 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2019.”
 
Zorzal Eggo Tinto de Tiza Gualtallary 2017 750ml Displayed Price: $24 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Luis Gutierrez – Wine Advocate 94 points “The mouthfeel of the 2017 Eggo Tinto de Tiza was like biting into a piece of chalk (“tiza” is the Spanish word for chalk), the texture provided by the limestone-rich soils from Gualtallary, especially in the higher part of this large region. This wine is not about the varieties (it’s a blend to start with) but about the place, the soils, the local vegetation, the austerity and the wilderness. 33,000 bottles. It was bottled in January 2018.”