OTAZU PRIVATE CELLAR

Otazu Private Cellar is an unforgettable experience in which the palate and emotions go hand in hand with the aim of creating a barrel (225 liters) of a unique and singular wine.
At Otazu we currently grow three red grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo. Using these grapes as a base, we elaborate the different blends for the whole range of wines.

One of the defining characteristics of Bodega Otazu is the great diversity of its soils, which are the result of the interaction, over centuries, with the Arga River, five natural springs and two subway rivers found within the property. Currently, in the 98 hectares of the estate we have 66 different vineyards. In the case of the signature wines, the winemaking process pays special attention to detail: the harvest date is selected by grape tasting, the grapes are harvested by hand at dawn, cryomaceration is used at 4ºC for two days and the grapes are worked on the cluster selection table and on the manual berry selection table.

MICROVINIFICACIÓN

Likewise, the fermentation process of these wines is very special. It is carried out in new 225-liter French oak barrels from different forests and toasts chosen by the technical team. This is a technique called microvinification, which is very labor-intensive and technically demanding. The process consists of manually opening each barrel and filling it with whole grape berries. Over the next three weeks, these barrels are placed in a temperature-controlled room where alcoholic fermentation takes place. As the grapes are not pre-pressed, each barrel is rotated ten times daily to allow the grapes to press against each other under their own weight. Once the fermentation phase is completed, the liquid is drained from the barrels. For every two micro-vinified barrels, wine is obtained to fill only one of the barrels in which aging will take place. The aging process is carried out in new French oak barrels. This is the procedure we use with all our signature wines, which have very limited productions: Artistas de Otazu, Genios de Otazu and Vitral de Otazu. Of the total of one thousand barrels we use each year, we use this method in only 80.

The Otazu Private Cellar program offers participants the opportunity to be part of one of the most important processes for the personality and character of the final wine: blending.

Throughout the year, our winemakers classify microvinified wine of different qualities. From these, the participants in the Otazu Private Cellar program choose their base wine.

Once the quality is chosen, our winemaker selects the samples from the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo barrels. Depending on the number of participants (usually a family, a group of friends or one person) we divide them into several groups or into one group and each group is assigned three wine samples: Cabernet Sauvignon (100%), Merlot (100%) and Tempranillo (100%).

Our winemaker then explains the characteristics of each variety according to its origin (soil profile, rootstock, clone), without forgetting the qualities it brings to the blend. Thanks to this guidance, but especially guided by their own taste and palate, each team achieves unique wines that are the result of blending the various proportions of the different varieties.

As a result, they obtain wines tailored to each taste and, by way of experience and learning, the participants understand how the wine changes when different grapes and proportions are used. When the teams are satisfied with their blend, our winemaker prepares a decanter for each of the wines produced and serves them to the participants, who perform a blind tasting and assign a score.

The winning wine is then replicated in a new French oak barrel and aged for a further three months before bottling.