2020 Envinate Benje Blanco

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.

Benje refers to an area high above the cloud cover on the western edge of the Tiede volcano. It’s an area that produces markedly different wines, from the sappy freshness of the coastal zones but still carries the hallmark lightness of all of Envínate’s wines. Benje Tinto is straight Listan Prieto, Benje Blanco is Listan Blanco. Both are grown on a mixture of old ash and red clay at over 1000m above sea level.

Other Reviews....
2020 was also very dry, like 2019 in Santiago del Teide in the south of Tenerife. The grapes for the 2020 Benje Blanco were picked earlier than ever, starting in mid-August. The wine fermented by plot in concrete with indigenous yeasts, and 20% of the volume matured in an oval 2,500-liter oak foudre and the rest in concrete, where half of it developed a thin layer of flor yeasts that give it a sharper texture rather than aromas or flavors, as these yeasts eat glycerin and make finer wines. So, the flor is only in 40% of the wine, less than in 2019. The difference here is that they stopped controlling the temperature (something they already did with Palo Blanco) and they stopped using 228-liter barrels and moved to 350-liter barrels from Chassagne-Montrachet. It makes the wine more expressive of the soils and with less fruit character. All this has increased clarity and definition in the white wines from Tenerife. This is livelier. 15,000 bottles and 150 magnums were produced. It was bottled in June 2021. Drink 2022 - 2027.
93 points
Luis Gutiérrez - Wine Advocate (Feb 2022)