New on Wine List Confidential: Eneko

Eneko – Wine List Confidential Score: 87.8

Chef Eneko, formerly of three Michelin-starred Azurmendi near Bilbao, has enlisted the help of his uncle, Gorka Izagirre, to compile his wine list. Handily, Izagirre runs his own bodega within the Azurmendi complex, which is reportedly home to the largest Txakoli cellar in the Basque country.

Naturally his wines feature prominently on the short but interesting list – his very good entry-level Txakoli is an excellent way to start a meal here, but you can also sample other, more unusual, Txakoli styles, including the barrel fermented, 24-months barrel-aged ’42 by Eneko Atxa’ and the ‘Arima’ (means ‘soul’ in Basque) late harvest bottling, which has much more freshness and acidity than most sweet wines.

If you fancy trying something novel from other regions of Spain, the Parés Baltà Amphora Gris is worth a punt. This is a limited edition (fewer than 2,000 bottles made) natural wine made from 100% old-vine Xarel-lo, fermented in an amphora unearthed from an archaeological site within the vineyard.

Other highlights include ‘El Hombre Bala’, a lovely old-vine Garnacha from ‘Garnachistas’ Fernando Garcia and Daniel Gómez Jiménez-Landi as part of their ‘Uvas Felices’ (Happy Grapes) project.

Almost all the c.43 references are available by the glass, carafe or bottle. Prices are on the expensive side of moderate (average 175ml by the glass price: £13), though only three wines top £100.

Eneko Atxa is styling this fairly ambitious Basque restaurant project as a ‘fun and casual’ dining experience. There’s definitely fun to be had on its wine list and not just in trying to pronounce its offerings in Basque.

To view the full Eneko Wine List Confidential entry, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

To view from all 350+ Wine List Confidential entries click here.