2021 Envínate Palo Blanco Listan Blanco
WINEMAKER: Roberto Santana, José Martínez, Laura Ramos & Alfonso Torrente
REGION: Canary Islands, SP
VARIETY: Listán Blanco
VITICULTURE: Organic
Palo Blanco refers to a small section of vineyards just to the south of the town of Los Realejos. It's here, of all the valley of Orotava, that the ultra-fine-black volcanic sand has accumulated and consequently the area has always been famed for producing the finest, most elegant whites of the region. Envinate farm five small plots within this area which lie between 500m and 850m above sea level, all while being no more than a couple of kilometers from the ocean. All five plots are over 100 years old and are pruned in the traditional Tezendo fashion where new shoots and progressively wrapped around old growth so the vines become 'dreadlocked' as the wind themselves across the land. These were the last plots to be harvested and were fermented in concrete without temperature control before being transferred to an old 2,500l foudre. Palo Blanco is probably the most crystalline and mineral wine Envinate produce. structurally it has alot in common with great Loire Chenin; pure, driven, age-worthy white but across that structure sits the wild flavour profile of Tenerife, flint, graphite, ocean spray all sitting amongst the crunch of green apple skin.
Envínate, which literally translates as “Wine Yourself,” is the project of four young passionate winemakers: Roberto Santana (based in the Canaries), Jose Martinez (Almansa), Laura Ramos (Murcia) and Alfonso Torrente (Ribeira Sacra). The four met while studying oenology in Alicante in 2005 and formed a collective based on a shared philosophy of wine and a desire to explore the ancient, Atlantic influenced terroirs of western Spain.
In 2008, the group bought their first vineyard in Ribeira Sacra, then took control of vineyards on the north side of Tenerife, and followed with a single patch of Tinta Amarela in Extremadura. Finally, in 2012, the group began working with a site in Almansa, where Jose lives and works, planted to Garnacha Tintorera. In each region, they work old, previously abandoned vineyards, but importantly for a project with such spread, one of the team lives full time in each location, working the vineyards year round.
Despite the far flung regions, the Envínate group pride themselves on their work in the vines and see themselves as a collective of viticulturalists, rather than travelling winemakers. At the core of the Envínate project is a belief that four things matter in the production of wine: the personality of the site; the character of the vintage; the soul of the people who work amongst the vines; and not fucking around in the winery because that’s how you make Coca-Cola.