Furthermore, Eyaralar had a second objective in mind: “There is a deep-rooted cliché that pigeonholes Navarra with rosés, and the truth is that these wines do have an excellent reputation, but magnificent reds can also be made in Navarra. We are fighting for reds to earn the same respect and prestige as rosés. Our mission is to make, through our work and dedication, the best wines we can – quality leading wines under DO Navarra”.

Supporting their objectives, they have 22 hectares of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; vineyards with an average age of 20 years located in the north-west region of DO Navarra, in the Yerri valley, protected by the sierras of Urbasa and Andía. This region has a combination of clay loam soil, a favourable microclimate within a severe and cold continental environment, good rainfall and an altitude of 600 metres, producing a fruit in good sanitary conditions.

“Our philosophy is simple, to make great wines we need the best possible grapes. In order to get them our efforts are concentrated all year round on the vine: pruning, training, and even removing the grape while green, if needed. However, the vine is not watered, so it acquires better expression from the terrain”, explained Alicia who highlighted the fact that the Yerri valley’s cold climate makes the grape ripen slowly, producing red wines with an individual style due to their freshness, balance and good acidity. Wines they call ‘de montaña’ because they are capable of trapping the terrain’s aromas of chalk, stone, forest and grass.

Once a quality fruit is attained, Alicia works with it in the most natural way possible. The bodega is a functional and contemporary concrete building that naturally maintains the optimum temperature for winemaking and ageing. The wine making process uses gravity, and not mechanical over-pumping, through “bazuqueo” (a term inherited by Eyaralar from El Bierzo) or punching the cap to extract all the potential from the must in a smooth and slow way. The vats are also made from concrete; there the wines sit before being aged in 300 litre French oak barrels that are renewed every three to four years.

“Concrete has ideal storage qualities that allow us to obtain stable wines through natural methods”, stated the oenologist who went on to defend that, in benefit of preserving authenticity, their wines are not subject to clarification, or cold stabilisation but only pass through a gentle filer process before being bottled. “With wine you have to take few but firm steps, because each operation entails loses, you loose aromas. Furthermore, you have to treat it with care, indulge it, because it is a living being”, reasoned Alicia Eyaralar.

The results of all these discoveries are two reds: ‘Ars Nova’ and ‘Ars Mácula’. So much Latin might seem surprising, but for this bodega it has its explanation. Ars Nova in Latin means ‘New Art’, a term used to describe a 14th century musical movement considered as the birth of polyphonic music, compared with the arrival of perspective in painting, which came about during the same period. This is the philosophy behind ‘Ars Nova’ a new beginning.

For Alicia Eyaralar this wine, made from Tempranillo, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and aged 7 months in French oak, symbolises “a break from the traditional style of wine. This wine never leaves you feeling indifferent, it invites you to keep on drinking, to discover new sensations. A wine that changes in the glass, opens in the nose, it makes you become aware of new nuances. A delight”.