Envinate 2021 Tenerife Benje Blanco

Listán Blanco from high elevation (1000-1200m) vineyards on the sunny, dry and continental north-west side of Mount Teide, near the town of Santiago del Teide. The vineyards range in age from 70-110 years old, and are farmed either by the Envinate team, or one of 15 local families who work with them. Vineyards are untrained (traditional for the area), and worked by hand without any chemical treatments used. The grapes see up to 1-2 days of skin contact during fermentation, which is in concrete. The wines rest on the lees in a mixture of used French oak, and concrete tanks. A little flor developed in one of the concrete vats, so there is a hint of an oxidative note to the wine. Listan Blanco is also known as Palomino and the profile is unmistakable here, as Palomino (much like Savagnin in my opinion) has an oxidative lean even without the development of flor/voile. The 2021 has a salty nose, with a touch of lemon and ginger nice phenolic texture. Good acid and balance!  -EL

Envinate 2021 Tenerife Benje Blanco 1.5L

Envinate 2021 Tenerife Taganan Blanco

A large blend of white grapes, many hailing originally from Madeira and Portugal: Gual, Albillo Criollo, Marmajuelo, Malvasia, Forastera, Verdelho and others. From vines in Taganan along the far northeastern coast of Tenerife, where the soils are volcanic with sand and basalt. The untrained vines range from 60 to 200 years old are planted from the side of the ocean up to 300m above sea level. Grapes are harvested by hand, destemmed, and then fermented with indigenous yeasts in open-top vats (plastic and concrete), with aging in barrels. Apparently this 2021 vintage of Taganan Blanco did not go through malolactic fermentation, but it's by no means sharp or lacking in depth. I noted a lovely density to the wine, with a hint of reduction and butter on the nose, pleasant stone fruit palate, along with salinity and notes of mint. This wine seems to be as ready to drink now as it is to age. It's your call!  -EL

Envinate 2021 Tenerife Benje Tinto

Like the other 'Benje' wine, this wine comes from several vineyards around Santiago del Teide in Tenerife. The Tinto is a blend of mostly Listán Prieto (90%), with Listan Blanco and Tintilla, from vineyards at around 1000-1200m. Climactically, this region is dry, windy, and continental in character, shielded from Atlantic influence by Mount Teide and by the elevation. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented with indigenous yeasts before aging for 8 months in concrete and used French barrels. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with a touch of sulfur. The 2021 is energetic, with bright red fruit, bing cherry, herbs and a touch more generosity than previous years. Tasty now, and should be great in a year +

Envinate 2021 Tenerife Migan Tinto 'Chingao'

While Migan is an amalgam of several parcels, the Chingao is a single section of a parcel called "Tio Luis," which is a 100 year old plot that the Envinate folks consider to be quite special. Compared to some other sites, the Tio Luis parcel has a bit more clay in the soil, perhaps yielding a slightly more concentrated expression. Grapes are typically fermented with a high percentage of whole cluster, but in 2021 it was 100% whole cluster for 15 days, with aging in concrete. The wine was bottled directly from tank without filtration, fining or any SO2 additions. The Envinate team has said on one occasion that they find the DO La Ortava to be the most volcanic, and this certainly comes as no surprise with the Migan Chingao! Though I've consistently read the "Tenerife funk" aromas of this wine as reduction, it seems that it is a mistake. Similar to reduction in aspects of how the aromas hit the nose, the character of this wine seems to be more truthfully linked to place - more a site specific, Ortava character. Likely it is some intermingling of specific terroir and slight reduction. I will say, my experiences with the wine have suggested that it might not be reduction that we encounter here, as the "funk" does not dissipate with time open as reduction normally does. Of all the offerings today, this is probably the most deserving of aging, due to its youthful intensity. A singular wine! ////

From Jose Pastor website: "2021 was a great vintage in La Orotava, with almost 500L of rain between fall and winter. The spring was mild, without much humidity, and the grapes were very healthy. Roberto writes that it wasdefinitely the best year of the last five for the higher altitude plots like La Habanera"

Envinate 2021 Tenerife Vidueno de Santiago del Teide 1.5L

Envinate 2021 Almansa Garnacha Tintorera Albahra

Albahra is Envinate's Mediterranean wine, from vines of Garnacha Tintorera and Moravia-Agria, planted in clay-limestone soils near Albacete in Castilla-La Mancha. There are two parcels of Garnacha and one parcel of Moravia-Agria. Each parcel is vinified separately, always with some whole clusters used. After about 8 months the wines are blended together and bottled without fining or filtering and with only a small amount of SO2 added. The 2021 is bright and spicy, with notes of cherries, red fruit and a hint of bitterness in the finish, suggesting that a year in bottle should put this wine in an ideal spot. Charming now, this should age nicely. The following for this wine grows each year, essentially in step with the amount of people who try it for the first time. Any fan of the elegant and delicate side of Grenache/Garnacha should grab a bottle (or two or three)!   ///  ** "Albahra(Castilian for “small sea”) is named for the vineyard area in the Almansa region close to the town of Albacete, located at the southeastern tip of Castilla-La Mancha" (Jose Pastor website) **

Envinate 2021 Almansa Albahra 1.5L

Envinate 2021 Almansa Albahra Chingao

This is a special expression of 100% Garnacha Tintorera on limestone rich soils, from a young vineyard planted at around 800m elevation. In 2021, a small percentage of the grapes were destemmed, with whole clusters being used for the majority (80%). Fermentation is in open top concrete tanks, with little extraction (only occasional gentle pumpover), and agin is in concrete for 8 months. As with all "Chingao" wines from Envinate, no SO2 is used during fermenation, aging, or at bottling. This is a deeper and darker wine than the 'regular' Albahra, mainly due to it being 100% Garnacha Tintorera. There is also a bit more subtle structure and mineral depth to the wine from the use of stems and the calcareous soils of this single vineyard. My guess is this would be best with 3-5 years of bottle age. No harm in drinking young, but it will certainly be at its best several years from now.  -EL

Envinate 2021 Tenerife Vidueno de Santiago del Teide

Vindueno is from a "single parcel of 90-year-old vines on volcanic soils in the Valle de Arriba at 1000-1200m above sea level. The vines are trained en vaso, and no chemicals are used in the vineyard" (Jose Pastor website). In 2021, the wine is about half/half Listan Prieto (aka Pais aka Mision aka Criolla) and Listan Blanco. The grapes are co-fermented in an open top vat with 12 days of maceration, and aging for 8 months in used French barrels. As with all "Chingao" wines from Envinate, this is bottled without any fining, filtration or sulfur additions. I've always loved how graceful this wine is, but this vintage is possibly the most pretty, floral, bright and Burgundian of any in memory. A lovely, delicate wine, with notes of dried herbs and red fruit, and a long mineral finish.  -EL