Envínate 'Benje' Blanco 2022

Envínate is a collective of winemakers, four friends from four different regions of Spain. Roberto Santana is from Tenerife, which is where this wine comes from. 'Benje' means mountain or crater in Amazigh, the language of the aboriginal people of the Canary Islands. 

'Benje' comes from Santiago del Teide, a tiny village, suspended at high elevation, flanked by the Teide volcano on one side. The last eruption on Tenerife happened here in 1905, lava pouring down, shaping everything. The settlers from Castilla arrived in the 16th century and planted bush vines because it gets hot down here, unlike the north. The bush vines protect the grapes from burning under that brutal sun. 

2022 was a very good vintage. Good vegetation growth, good ripeness, more delicate and elegant wines. They used less flor this year, which is normally used to sharpen the whites, because the cooler vintage brought its own freshness. Flor is a protective, whitish film of yeast that grows on the surface of wine during barrel ageing. It's what happens in Jerez with Finos and Manzanillas and in Jura with Vin Jaune. The nose is extremely expressive, nuanced, subtle. Smoky notes, orchard fruit, brine and salt on the palate, lively acidity.

This is the finest vintage of Benje to date according to many.