Jose Pastor Envinate Tasting – January 27th and 28th
The Founders and Winemakers of Envinate
Envínate (meaning ‘wine yourself’) is the brainchild of four friends who met while studying enology at the University of Miguel Hernández in Alicante. Their work is currently focused in exploring the ancient, Atlantic-infused terroirs of Extremadura, Ribeira Sacra, and the Canary Islands. Their philosophy is simple; let each ‘parcela’ or single parcel, fully express itself by utilizing old-fashioned farming and wine-making methods. To this end, no chemicals are used in any of the Envínate vineyards, all parcels are picked by hand, the grapes are foot-trodden, and the wines are fermented exclusively with wild yeasts, with a varying proportion of whole clusters included.
Typically alcohol levels are kept at 13 degrees or below. For aging, the wines are raised in old barrels. The results are some of the most distinctive and exciting wines being produced in Spain today. They are all organic!
Envínate, Albahra Garnacha Tintorera 2015
This wine is sourced from a single 30 year old vineyard that is divided into 3 parcels at 800 meters elevation in the Almansa region, around the town of Albacete. The grape is Garnacha Tintorera (or Alicante Bouchet), and the soils are chalky, clay-calcareous. The wine is wild yeast fermented with 50% whole grape clusters in 4500 liter cement vats, with soft punch down of the grapes and a short maceration of 7 days; then aged in cement for 8 months. The result is a remarkably fresh wine with earthy dark fruit and spice – a great wine to pair with savory dishes, like roasted meats, sausages, mushrooms, and rice dishes, like paella or arroz negro.
Only 580 cases produced – $19.99
Envínate, Benje 2015
This newest Envínate wine is from vineyards in and around Santiago del Teide, along the western edge of the island of Tenerife – Canary Islands. The viticulture is very old-fashioned: the vines grow untrained, the soil is worked by hand, and no chemicals are used. 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.
Benje is sourced from old-vine, untrained gapes of Listan Prieto(98%) with a bit of Tintilla(2%). Each parcel is hand-harvested and vinified separately, some in concrete and some in small open tubs. Maceration (grapes soaking and fermenting) is 10-30 days depending on parcel with daily punch-down and then aged 8 months in neutral oak. Bottling is without fining or filtration. This is a pure and vertical expression of high elevation, volcanic Canary soil with notes of red and black fruits, peppercorns, purple flowers, and volcanic soil – a beautiful wine to pair with grilled meats.
Only 830 cases produced – $22.99
