Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 91 points

“Bastegieta talks about 2019 as a textbook vintage with perfect weather conditions to produce wines with more structure but more vertical than in 2018, as showcased by the 2019 Marko, from grapes picked later than they are picked for traditional Txakoli. It's a complex blend of 55% Hondarribi Zuri Zerratia (Petit Courbu), 40% Hondarribi Zuri (Gros Courbu) and 5% Izkiriota Handia (Gros Manseng) from the village of Kortezubi close to the coast where the soils are rich in limestone with perhaps a little slate/schist. This comes from four hectares of vines, and it fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and then matured with the lees for four to five months. I cannot say this is fruit-driven, which makes sense with his approach to show the soils in the wines. It has a balsamic and leesy touch and stony minerality that is better perceived in the austere texture. Drink date 2020 – 2023” – Luis Gutierrez

Review date: August 2020