
Vinification & maturation
Grapes
Soils
France
Domaine Arretxea is a family-run estate in Irouléguy, in France’s Basque Country, founded by Thérèse and Michel Riouspeyrous in the late 1980s or early 1990s and now run with their sons, Iban and Téo. Its steep, terraced vineyards lie on a mosaic of schist, limestone, sandstone and other distinctive soils. Certified organic since 1998 and farmed biodynamically, the domaine avoids synthetic chemicals and emphasizes biodiversity, soil health and terroir expression. Grapes are harvested and sorted by hand, with native-yeast fermentations, restrained sulfur use, no fining and variable light filtration. Some wines are fermented or aged in Dolia clay amphorae. The resulting wines aim to express the Basque mountain terroir, vintage variation and the character of each site, with a bold, structured and deeply rooted style.
Vineyard scale
Micro artisanal
<10 ha
Production scale
Artisanal
30-60k bottles/yr