The Valle de Yerri is in the northernmost quarter of Navarra, just a little way southwest of Pamplona and not terribly far from the Bay of Biscay. Where much of Navarra is hot and dry, it is much cooler here, at elevation where alpine winds cool the vineyards. For a valley so close to Rioja, there’s remarkably little wine grown here, which had always seemed a shame to Alicia Eyaralar and José María Fraile, who came from other corners of the wine industry to found Tandem in 2003. From the start, the vines have been farmed organically, and the winery was built with gentle winemaking techniques in mind. Ars In Vitro means ‘art in the glass’, and this seemingly simple cuvee of Tempranillo and Merlot has surprising depths, offering aromas of black cherry fruit leather, violets, orange cordial, black olive tapenade, potting soil and braised beef. The palate gives rich black cherry, strawberry, and baker’s chocolate with full bodied enthusiasm, textural elegance, surprising acidic energy and just a touch of orange on the finish. This is a rib-sticking wine best paired with, well, ribs.