Viña Zorzal Malayeto Garnacha, Navarra 2017

Antonio Sanz founded this estate in April 1989, with the help of two of his friends and fellow wine lovers, and it has gone on to achieve great popularity, particularly for its work with the lesser-known graciano grape native to the Navarra region. It is now run by the second generation of the Sanz family, brothers Xabi and Iñaki, who oversee sales and winemaking respectively. The brothers have injected a new lease of life into the portfolio, and were both responsible for creating the highly successful Zorzal wine range.

The modern winery is in the village of Corella, in the Ribero Baja area of Navarra, the region which borders Rioja. It is a fertile area known for its wine, fruit and farming, with a Mediterranean climate and sun-drenched slopes bordering the river Ebro, making for excellent grape growing conditions.

The Sanz family has 70 hectares of vines, some of which – including the graciano and garnacha used for the Zorzal range we buy – are over 35 years old. As well as graciano and garnacha, the estate grows tempranillo, mazuelo, merlot and cabernet sauvignon.

In the winery, the team works hard to preserve the natural fruity character of its wines. To that end, the wines are fermented in stainless-steel tanks and the garnacha remains completely unoaked, whereas the graciano spends just four months in French oak.