Bodegas Ochoa is also situated in Olite just south of Pamplona. It’s a family business with father Javier as the main figure as owner and enologist and son Alvaro taking care of the commercial part. The Ochoa name can be taken back to 1370 where it is mentioned in a document from the Queen of Navarra to the King of Spain.
Today the winery has 143 hectares (350 acres) of vineyard in the area around Olite. It produces about 600.000 liters per year and has a full range of wines; rosé, white, young reds, crianza, reserva and a top wine - Vendimia Seleccionada.
My visit to the winery was a clear winner. Besides tasting the full range of Ochoa wines I also managed to taste some barrel samples of the newer wines. On the picture you can see Javier Ochoa pouring wine for me.
And we (the group I was traveling with) stayed for lunch at Ochoa’s. The lunch was held in the vineyards with a rustic grill from where we got some lovely lamb chops. Can you imagine a better place to taste and drink the wine?
Some recommended wines from Bodegas Ochoa:
Ochoa Tempranillo Crianza 2001 is a straight-forward, pleasant and medium-bodied wine. It’s structure is silky and it exhibits hints of tobacco, strawberries, and cherries. I scored it 86/100 pts. and it’s a everyday wine to a price at €10 / $12.
The Ochoa top wine is Vendimia Seleccionada 2000 made from equal parts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The color is intensely deep red and you find nuances of cherry, plums and black currant. It has a velvety structure, is lovely silky but also has dark chocolate and vanilla notes. It’s one of the top 10 wines in Navarra and for the price of €30 / $38 its worth the money. I scored it 91/100 pts. Try it with lamb or a good steak.
Leave a Reply