Viñatigo - Negramoll, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain (2022)

TASTING NOTES

Delicate aromas of red berry fruits are accompanied by an intriguing wisp of toffee and a powerful yet subtle volcanic minerality. A smooth and rounded palate shows polished tannins and a gentle, pleasant finish.

Juan Jesús, who is a 4th generation winemaker, founded Viñátigo in 1990 and has worked tirelessly since then identifying, recuperating the native grapes of the Canary Islands.

Negramoll is Canary Island's most delicate red variety. It's thin skin and big berries yield wines that are light bodied but have very powerful aromatics. The ungrafted vines grow near the Ocean, around 300 meters above sea level. The wine is aged for six months in neutral barrels.

Driven by passion and love for his homeland, Juan decided to revive and work to save the native grape varieties that were brought to the Canary Islands by the conquers back in the 15th century and that had survived on the islands for centuries. He is a hero of contemporary Canarian viticulture. The wealth of knowledge that his work has created has helped underpin the significant expansion of wine styles that are now available throughout the archipelago, and his wines have achieved a calibre of class that many doubted the Canaries would ever produce again. (The Epic Wines of the Canary Islands, written by Santo Bains).