Wines of the Moment
Ochoa is one of the top wineries in Navarra in terms of quality, value for money and for innovation. It is a family-run firm, Javier Ochoa being the winemaker and Alvaro Ochoa the sales director. The grapes are grown and selected by the Ochoa family. Javier Ochoa is personally responsable for making all of the wines. The bodega is not quite boutique, but production is limited and yields are low, in order to make the wines concentrated with depth and complexity. The vineyards are located in the gorgeous, medieval village of Olite and in Traibuenas. The historic winery dating back to the 1800's is still used for oak maturation, while the newer winery just outside Olite includes modern installations for vinification and the bottle pavillions.
White: Ochoa Viura Chardonnay
Price: £7.64
Making
To make this white, Ochoa have selected their vineyard’s best Viura and Chardonnay vine stocks and waited until the grape’s best maturity degree for harvesting. There’s a third minority variety in this wine (7 %), the Muscat, which gives very characteristic and floral aromas. The bunches of grapes are de-stemmed and pressed at low pressure. The obtained must is moved into stainless steel tanks with temperature control, where the fermentation develops at 18 ºC.
Tasting
Clean straw-yellow colour. Pale and brilliant. On the nose the primary aromas predominate, as well as the flowery. Fruity, fresh, tasty, good acidity mouth.
Best served at: Cool (8-10º).
Ideal with: White Meat, Fish, Soft Cheese
Red: Ochoa Merlot 2005
Price: £10.94
Making
Fermentation for 8 days. 20 days long maceration at a controlled temperature of 25ºC. Ageing in 225 litres Bordeaux barrels, in Allier French-oak casks. It had two rackings up to complete the 12 months of barrel-ageing, where the wine acquires the natural fineness of the ageing, and it rounds up in bottle, where the natural and progressive evolution continues.
Tasting
Deep cherry colour, spicy aromas, oak and varietal fruit toasts. On the palate is warm, fleshy well-structured which benefits the time in bottle. Best served at: 18º-20ºC.
Ideal with
Lightly spiced meats. Mature Cheese.
