Ameztoi is a dark-horse candidate for the coolest winery location in the world. The winery sits on a hill, surrounded by its estate vines rolling across the landscape, only a stone’s throw from the ocean, and commanding an unbeatable 270 degree panorama of the Bay of Biscay. I mean, c’mon! We’re in love. Add in world-class food, and amazing wines, and we just found our next bucket list destination.

Ameztoi is a historic local producer that has spanned over five generations, with the winery founded back in 1820. If you know one name in Txakoli, this is it. Ameztoi’s inspiration for this wine uses the area’s signature low alcohol (12%) and refreshing acidity as an ally to craft exceptional bottle-fermented sparkling wines resulting in unique, savory, and vinous wines that are an ideal fit with food. The attention to detail, vine health, and winery cleanliness is some of the greatest I have seen in Spain, and these are highly serious, yet unbelievably approachable wines that demand the attention of wine lovers at every level. 

The name, Hijo de Rubentis, is a nod to the winery’s signature still rosé, Rubentis, picked from the same parcels as this bubbly. The fruit for this is picked ten days earlier, to keep the alcohol low and the acids high, but then, after at least 36 months of lees-aging in bottle, in place of a traditional dosage, the wine is given an infusion of grape must from the Rubentis, clocking in at the equivalent of 4 g/liter sugar for the finished wine. And thus, the “son of Rubentis” came to be!

This méthode traditionnelle sparkling rosé is made from select old-vine hondarrabi beltza grapes, located amongst the ancient Basque fishing villages on Spain’s rugged northern coast. The coastal micro-climates, and variety of exposures, and elevations, makes for a truly unique array of flavors and aromas – unlike anything you’ve ever tasted… Rhubarb, nectarines, sour cherries, celery salt, Szechuan peppercorns, pickled watermelon rinds, rambutan, and so much more that even a culinary degree and over two decades in food and wine just can’t pin down. But each sip reveals something new, and it is never boring or conformist. Savory one minute, zippy the next, with a piquant spiciness, and a mouth-quenching refreshing-ness… this is certainly destined to be the next centerpiece at my next pool party! At a gnat’s whisker over $30, I can hardly imagine a wine that gives more for less!