Envinate "Benje" Tinto 2022

Envinate ("wine yourself") is the brainchild of Laura Ramos, Jose Martinez, Roberto Santana and Alfonso Torrente, four friends who met while studying winegrowing at the University of Miguel Hernandez in Alicante. Their work, both in the vineyard and winery, is focused on exploring the ancient, Atlantic-infused terru�os of Ribeira Sacra and the Canary Islands, as well as exceptional vineyard plots across the Iberian Peninsula. The Envinate philosophy is simple: allow each parcel to fully express itself in the finished wine by utilizing old-fashioned farming and winemaking methods. The results are some of the most exciting wines being produced in Spain today. This newest Envinate wine is from vineyards in and around Santiago del Teide, along the western edge of the island of Tenerife. The viticulture is very old-fashioned: the vines grow untrained, the soil is worked by hand, and no chemicals are used. The island experiences a fairly temperate climate, enabling grapes to ripen at moderate alcohol levels while retaining bright acidity. The main challenges to viticulture are winds from the Atlantic and Africa and fluctuations in humidity. Benje is sourced from old-vine, untrained pie franco parcels of Listan Prieto with a bit of Tintilla, grown atop the western cliffs of Tenerife. Each parcel is hand-harvested and vinified separately, some in concrete and some in small open tubs. Maceration is 10-30 days (depending on parcel) with daily punch-down; malolactic fermentation is in neutral French barriques, then raised 8 months in the same barrels without battonage or added SO2. Bottling is without fining or filtration. This is a pure and vertical expression of high elevation, volcanic Canary terru�o with notes of red and black fruits, peppercorns, purple flowers and volcanic soil.