DOMAINE ESPILA 2024 Irouléguy 75cl White

Grape varieties: 55% Petit Manseng, 32% Gros Manseng & 13% Petit Courbu

From four small parcels across three distinct terroirs: sandstone, ophite, and limestone.

Aged on the lees in used barrels, with regular bâtonnage.

Espilako Xuria means “The White of the Espila House” in Basque.

Tasting notes: A delicate, understated nose with hints of candied orange. The palate is full of tension and light, bursting with energy, leading to a savoury, very long finish. Subtle spicy notes, like cardamom, tingle the palate. A little mineral bomb we’ve completely fallen for. 💣

🍷 Serve at 12°C – cellaring potential: over 10 years

Paul Carricaburu tends just 1.4 hectares spread across four small parcels on exceptional terroirs: sandstone, ophite, and limestone. He cultivates traditional Pyrenean grape varieties - Mansengs and Courbu - to craft, with great care and finesse, a single white wine… but what a wine it is!

Though Irouléguy is better known for its reds, these stunning terroirs have the potential to produce truly great whites; mineral-driven wines built for gastronomy and ageing.

Paul has been vinifying on his own since 2018, the year he acquired his first small press. In his cool, modest cellar, you’ll find relics of past generations; agricultural tools once used by his grandfather to work the land.

You could spend hours with Paul, he’s so passionate and deeply committed. In fact, “committed” hardly does him justice. Paul is a true activist for organic farming and for a return to real paysanne agriculture in the Basque Country: chemical-free, in harmony with and in service to the land.

After witnessing several illnesses in his family, he became acutely aware of the environmental and biological emergency we face — and of the importance of training future generations accordingly.