Santiago del Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands
 
 
100% Listán Blanco. Vineyard From several parcels of 70–120-year-old vines at 75300m elevation farmed by Envínate and 15 local families. Viticulture here is highly traditional: vines grow untrained, the soils is worked by hand, and no chemicals are used. The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented with native yeasts and without temperature control, in a mix of old French oak foudre and concrete tank. A portion of the wine macerates with the skins.
 
 
 The 2024 Benje Blanco comes from the same plots that produce the red Benje, because they are all field blends, and the whites are picked three weeks earlier than the reds. They don't do flor anymore (since 2023) because of the heat, and it's too risky without sulfur. It has a pale golden color and a mealy nose with some notes of cereals, dry flowers and pollen. It has a serious and stony palate, coming through as a very serious white well above what the price level might suggest. The parameters show the contained but good ripeness, under 12% alcohol, with good balance and freshness, pH 3.02 and 6.9 grams of acidity.

 
 
 
Envínate (“wine yourself”) is the brainchild of Laura Ramos, Jose Martínez, Roberto Santana and Alfonso Torrente, four friends who met while studying winegrowing at the University of Miguel Hernández in Alicante. Their work, both in the vineyard and winery,
is focused on exploring the ancient, Atlantic-infused terruños of Ribeira Sacra and the Canary Islands, as well as exceptional vineyard plots across the Iberian Peninsula. The Envínate philosophy is simple: let each parcel fully express itself in the finished wine by utilizing old-fashioned farming and winemaking methods.
 
 
This Envínate wine is from just outside Santiago del Teide, high on the volcanic mountain Pico de Teide, overlooking the northwestern side of the island of Tenerife. 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.