Viñedos Lacalle y Laorden

The results of the first productions were so impressive that the two families - united by a long-standing friendship - decided to focus all of Izar-Leku Mahastiak's production activities on making sparkling wine using traditional methods.  With the help and experience of winemaker Inaxio Manterola, Hondarribi Zuri and Hondarribi Beltza grapes are grown on 3.75 hectares in Zarautz in the province of Gipuzkoa in the northern Basque Country. The vineyard is only a few kilometres from the Bay of Biscay (Atlantic Ocean).  These grapes grow naturally on multi-layered soils consisting of clay, slate and basalt with overlying sandstone.  The terroir gives this exceptional sparkling wine an incomparable freshness and a distinctive maritime character.  Incidentally, Izar-Leku translates from Basque as "place of the stars".  In the world of sparkling wines this "vino espumoso" is definitely a discovery full of character! 

Also under the name of Viñedos Lacalle y Laorden (Grupo Artadi), the legendary El Pisón - the first Rioja wine to be awarded more than 100 Parker points - is produced in the Basque province of Álava in Rioja.  The single vineyard of El Pisón is located north of the river Ebro in the medieval town of Laguardia, and enjoys a continental climate with a Mediterranean influence.  The nearby Cantabrian Mountains protect the area from major climatic fluctuations.  El Pisón is an amphitheatre location with sparse clay, limestone and sandstone soils and lies at an altitude of over 480 metres.  The tempranillo vines of this site were planted in 1945 and are now cultivated organically.  The climatic characteristics as well as the properties of the soil give Viña El Pisón its unique terroir character and produce a complex, exceptional wine with distinctive minerality, lots of dark fruit and a velvety texture.  This wine has enormous ageing potential and is considered by many to be one of the finest wines produced in Spain!