Suertes del Marques, 7 Fuentes

Listan Negro / Tintilla

Tenerife, Canary Islands

Tenerife has a long and fascinating winemaking history, indigenous varieties such as Listán Negro and Blanco, Tintilla and Baboso Negro, can be found growing on 100-year-old own rooted vines. Jonatan Garcia from pioneering Tenerife bodega Suertes del Marqués is part of the growing breed of passionate Spanish producers working on the island, capitalizing on the heritage vines, and allowing the volcanic soils to speak through his eloquent, mineral driven wines. Grapes come from the Orotova Valley, on the cooler north side of the island, which features volcanic clay soils and the steep slopes of the Pico del Teide volcano. Many are grown in a traditional trellising system called Cordon Trenzado - vine branches are plaited together and supported on stakes, and eventually grow into gnarly arms sometimes several meters in length. The estate has some incredibly old, low-yielding vines and produce wines that have freshness, balance, purity of fruit, minerality and an authentic terroir character. To us these are truly special wines, and they leave a lasting impression on everyone who tries them.

Suertes del Marques refers to this as their “village wine” and it’s a good introduction to their reds.  It comes from a blend of several plots, all on volcanic soils, and its main component is the wildly aromatic Listán Negro, followed by a small amount of Tintilla (aka Trousseau).