2018 Benje Blanco

The 2018 Benje Blanco comes from the south of the island and was produced with Listán Blanco, the local strain of Palomino. This is a blend of different plots of vey old vines at high altitude, 900 to 1,100 meters above sea level. The thing that is different about this wine is that 65% of the volume matured in concrete tanks under a veil of yeasts, flor, in search of a sharper texture rather than aromas or flavors, as these yeasts eat glycerin and make finer wines. The rest was aged in used 228-liter oak barrels with the lees and then was blended and bottled. This has lots of character, mixing the varietal notes with volcanic notes, and it is fresher (much fresher) than the 2018. There is a hint of flor on the palate, more of a texture than a set of flavors. The warm and cooler years are more challenging in the south of Tenerife (here) than in the north (Taganana and La Orotava). 2018 was much cooler, and the vines behaved well; the key is to keep the leaves because otherwise the grapes dehydrate rapidly. 21,500 bottles were produced. It was bottled in July 2019.