2021 Carmelo Pena Santana, Gran Canaria, Bien de Altura Tidao

The work being done on Gran Canaria by Carmelo Peña Santana is reshaping the narrative of the entire Canary archipelago. His wines are born of extreme conditions: ungrafted vines (pie franco) situated at dizzying elevations of 1,100 to 1,400 meters in the San Mateo district. Tidao is a single vineyard cuvee from 110+ year-old vines; a field blend from some of the highest plots. Tidao captures the tension between the searing sun and the cooling Alisios winds. With a year of bottle age, the 2021 has settled into a savory groove. The tannins have integrated, allowing the saline, smoky character of the terroir to take center stage. Listan Negro, Listan Prieto and Tinta Cao fermented whole-cluster in open barrel.