Pago de Otazu

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyards are situated on the left bank of the river Arga, with the southern boundary at the foothills of the Sierra del Perdón and the western boundary at the Sierra de Sarbil, at elevations between 402 and 451 metres and a mean altitude of 430 metres.
• The climate combines Mediterranean and Atlantic influences within the valley interior, generating a specific microclimate in which winter cold is felt intensely for more than 100 days per year.
• Under anticyclonic conditions, air masses accumulate on the valley floor, producing very low temperatures at dawn and in the early morning hours, which accounts for the high number of frost days — one of the greatest risks to the vineyard.
• The grapes require 15 to 20 days longer than in other areas of Navarra to ripen correctly, owing to the winter conditions that slow subsequent maturation.
• The cool, persistent north-westerly wind known as the cierzo promotes the health of the vines and their development under non-stressful temperature conditions.
• The soils are classified into three types according to Soil Taxonomy (2010): Fluventic Haploxerept, Typic Calcixerept, and Calcic Haploxerept — all stony and deep, with high carbonate contents and a basic pH above 7.5.
• There is a band of soils near the river close to the Etxauri ford, situated on the lowest terrace of the Arga at approximately 6 metres above the river, with a stony calcic horizon between 0.35 and 1 metre depth.

• As early as the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, wine growing and winemaking were practised in the Señorío de Otazu, as demonstrated by tools and presses from that period that are still preserved today.
• At the geographical centre of the estate stands a historic winery built in 1840 in the French style, with a capacity of 200,000 litres in oak vats, which marked the separation of the winery from the village core of the Señorío.

• Chardonnay whites show a yellow-green colour with brightness and clarity, with aromas of fruit, citrus, flowers, and exotic fruits, along with some mineral notes. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
• Tempranillo red wine displays a purplish, medium-high garnet colour, with a nose of red and black fruit that develops toasted, roasted, tobacco, and hints of liquorice notes with ageing. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
• The wines show a good level of acidity that guarantees their capacity to evolve and their longevity in bottle, in both whites and reds, together with a balance of alcohol, acidity, and structure.

• A ripening cycle some 10 to 15 days slower than in other Chardonnay vineyards in the region allows the natural acidity of the grape to be controlled, contributing greater aromatic complexity, finesse, and balance to the white wines.
• The ripening process of the red varieties, 12 to 15 days slower than in other vineyards in the region owing to the extended maturation cycle and the significant diurnal temperature swings, allows for better fixation and aromatic complexity derived from the natural management of acidity.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the specification (pliego de condiciones).

All appellations in Spain

Sources

• National pliego de condiciones (PDF)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-ES-A0184
• Official trade body site — Otazu — D.O.P. Pago de Otazu