Arturo de Miguel makes ‘some of the best reds in Spain’ (Tim Atkin), including the scarce and highly rated La Condenada and El Escolladero. But this red, the Artuke Tinto 2024, is a wine for the people. I tasted it in Paris about a month after bottling and it was joyous and supremely tasty – this is a Braai Day, bushveld, by-the-ocean or poolside winner.
The 2024 is 95% Tempranillo and 5% Viura from high-altitude, 40+ year-old vines. It’s energetic, fruity, aromatic, heady, velvety and darn delicious – everything you want in a ‘cosechero’ (carbonic macerated) wine. ‘Artuke’s version is impeccable,’ says Decanter. The freshness and elegance come from both the terroir and winemaking, with 100% whole-bunch fermentation in concrete tanks until the day of bottling.
Arturo and Kike de Miguel are the second generation to grow and bottle their own wines, looking after 30 hectares of vineyards in Rioja. They took the reins in 2000 and immediately converted to organic and then biodynamic farming. Their ancestors have been farming in the northern part of Rioja Alavesa for over a century, and all their vineyards were planted between 1920 and 2013.
This 2024 Tinto will sing with lamb chops and sweet peppers on the fire! If you’re interested in the Artuke pack which includes La Condenada and El Escolladero, please let Jolette know.
Tasting Notes:
‘The eponymous 2024 Artuke is a juicy and tasty carbonic maceration red, a modern rendition of the classical “cosechero” wines. It is perfumed, aromatic and heady, with aromas of bubble gum and flowers and a velvety palate with almost unnoticeable tannins. It’s a young and unoaked Tempranillo with some 5% white Viura grapes from the village of Baños de Ebro and was kept in concrete until it was bottled. 80,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2024. This is a bargain to buy by the truckload and drink unashamedly.’ – Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, 92/100
‘The 2024 Artuke is a blend of Tempranillo and Viura from Rioja. It’s intensely fruity, with notes of cherry, banana, yogurt and hints of carbonic maceration. This is juicy and broad, with a sweet, clingy texture. Vibrant and expressive, this is an energetic young red designed for casual enjoyment.’ – Joaquin Hildago, Vinous, 90/100
