2022 Envinate, La Santa de Ursula, Tacoronte Acentejo

Envínate literally translates to “wine yourself,” which is a concept we can get behind! Directly after graduating enology school in 2005, four friends – Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos, and José Martinez – embarked on a mission with Envínate: to create wines of profound purity and unwavering focus and show the heights of what can be done with hard work and dedication in these previously unheralded terroirs. Their dedication extends to the very heart of their vineyards, where they employ extraordinary measures to ensure health and vitality. Focusing on the venerable old vines of the Canary Islands and Ribeira Sacra, they produce some of Spain's most graceful and articulate wines. They do not use chemicals in the vineyard and rely solely on native yeasts for fermentation, their wines speak authentically of their origin. Envínate stands as a beacon of the new wave of Spanish winemakers, particularly along the Atlantic coast, masterfully capturing the essence of their unique terroirs in wines that are an unadulterated pleasure. Their versatility with a wide range of food makes them especially well-suited for the dinner table, but some can also be great for cocktails. These wines brim with unique character and provide a ton of pleasure.  The Envínate philosophy is simple: let each parcel fully express itself in the finished wine by utilizing old-fashioned farming and winemaking methods. La Santa de Úrsula hails from Tacoronte-Acentejo, a DOP on the Anaga peninsula on the northeast coast of Tenerife that is noted for its terraces, steep hillsides, rich red soils, and humid climes. This is made from mainly Negramoll and Listán Negro with a tiny bit of Listán Blanco from three north-facing parcels of centenarian piè franco vines in the La Corujera area, ranging from 350-650m above sea level. The vines are planted on sand and clay soils over red basalt bedrock. The three parcels were harvested and fermented separately; a small portion were carbonically macerated and about 1/2 were fermented whole cluster, all in concrete. The wines were blended and rested for 8 months on their lees in 228L neutral French oak barrels, where malolactic fermentation completed naturally. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, with a small addition of sulfur.