Suertes del Marques Trenzado 2020

95% Listan Blanco, 5% Other varietals in vineyard. The Canary Islands, located off the coast of Morocco, but technically a part of Spain, form a backdrop for some of the most unlikely yet wondrous vineyards for producing fine wines in the entire world. In a valley facing North and Northeast on the cooler, ocean-influenced North-facing part of the Island is the Valle de la Orotava DO home to the vineyards of Suertes Del Marques.  The vineyards are on very steep hillsides rising up from the sea, between 400 and 700 meters elevation. This part of the island is often 15-20 degrees cooler than the much hotter and sunnier south side of the island. Visiting the vineyards of Suertes del Marques is like going back in time.  The area is Phylloxera free and so the vines are pie franco (own-rooted) and extremely old, with some potentially over 200 years!  Many of the vines are trained using a unique method to this area called Cordon Trenzado where the vines spread out in long braids of wood, some up to 15-20 feet from the mother trunk! Given the extremely special nature of what Suertes del Marques possesses, proprietor Jonatan Garcia Lima works all his vineyards organically and all by hand and with the utmost care and respect for nature and history. And from these amazing and unique vineyards, he endeavors to make fresh, tensile, and mineral-driven wines that showcase the volcanic soils and the native varieties. To achieve the utmost purity and refinement to the wines, all work in the cellar is done with a minimum of interference. This includes all indigenous yeast fermentations, the use of neutral large oak barrels with minimal racking, and added sulfur during the élévage. He also is a believer in using a decent percentage of whole clusters in fermentation for these native varietals. The grapes come from many different plots of very old vines - many ungrafted and over 100 years old. Wild fermentation happens in concrete tanks. Afterward, the wine ages for 9 months in used French oak foudres. This is a special winery that you should not miss.