In a world where the material seems to prevail, overshadowing the spiritual and the intangible, there are those who strive to keep alive the connection with what we cannot see, but truly feel. Oxer Bastegieta, a young Basque winemaker, is one of those custodians of the earth's soul. His passion for ancient plots and wines crafted in the traditional manner has led him to create wines that not only delight the palate but also encourage a deeper reflection on tradition and the bond with nature.
One such wine is Oxer Tartalo, a gem that pays tribute to Basque mythology and that often-lost spiritual realm. The name Tartalo refers to a cyclops from Basque mythology, known for his formidable size and strength, a mystical being that Oxer has chosen as a symbol of a dreamlike and transcendental universe that remains alive in his vineyard.
Made from a blend of tempranillo, viura, and graciano, Oxer Tartalo hails from a small vineyard in Elvillar, in Rioja Alavesa, where vines planted in the 1920s thrive in poor clay and limestone soils, at over 600 metres altitude. The harvest, conducted manually with meticulous selection of the finest bunches, reflects Oxer's profound respect for the land and its winemaking heritage. In the winery, it is crafted through a careful vinification process, with fermentation in open French oak vats and an ageing period of 12 months in 600-litre Austrian oak barrels.
Fluid, expressive, and fresh, Oxer Tartalo invites us to reconnect with a world often neglected: that spiritual and ancestral universe that transcends the material. A tribute to what truly matters, though invisible, in a world that sometimes forgets the most important things.