2014 Suertes del Marques, 7 Fuentes Tinto, Vino de Villa, Valle de la Orotava, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
One of my favorite wines, this volcanic terroir red delivers a vibrant delicacy with a hint of reductive funk, salty stones and intense black licorice to go along with pretty red berry, dried flowers and light mineral tones. Jonatan Garcia Lima’s Sureties del Marques, imported by Eric Solomon/European Cellars (Southern Wine and Spirits side) these days, has brought the Canary Islands clearly into view of the wine world’s critics with most all of his wines scoring over 90 Points! The 7 Fuentes is their “village” wine, named after the seven main parcels of the Valle de la Orotava (wine region) on Tenerife, it’s a blend of mostly old vine Listan Negro along with tiny amounts of Tintilla (also known as Graciano, Bastardo or Trousseau) with some whole cluster, native yeast fermentation, in small stainless and with about 60% raised in cement and 40% in neutral French demi-muids of 500L. Jonatan Garcia has Luis Seabra making the wines these days at Sureties del Marques taking over from the talented Roberto Santana of Envinate (who made this wine), who also single handedly brought Listan Negro (one of the original Mission grapes) to fame, making wines that compare well with the great Nerello Mascalese wines of Mount Etna in the elite group of volcanic terroir beauties. The Listan Negro is grown on the clay and basalt in low climbing vines, with Suretes del Marques using organic practices, on the slopes of Mont Teide, Tenerife’s active volcano and Spain’s highest peak at 12,000 feet! The Atlantic and volcanic influences play a huge part in the flavors here with a flinty/briny racy character with this wonderfully graceful 2014 7 Fuentes, it shows a hint of Nuits-St-Georges like class, with cherry and rose petal tones, as well as bramble, leather, candied orange rind tanginess and a touch of red pepper, lingering with strawberry, lavender, shale and cranberry. It’s light ruby hue with a touch of amber shows the care of Santana and his gentle touch with this Listan Negro based cuvee, this is so cool and such a great value it’s hard to resist, it offers style and elegance along with a huge thrill of it’s pure terroir expression! If you are desperate to understand this wine, think Crozes-Hermitage meets Mount Etna, but in a lighter more saline (dry) crisp wine, drink up!
($22 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive

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