2020 Envinate Palo Blanco

I was blown away by a magnum of the white 2020 Palo Blanco I drank a few days before I tasted it again with its creators. Palo Blanco is the name of a zone in the village of Los Realejos in Tenerife, one of the finest locations for Listán Blanco (Palomino). In 2020 they used the grapes from five plots (they started with only one and 6,600 bottles in 2016), which means they have been able to increase volumes and, thankfully, also quality! The new plot is at 850 meters, so the grapes bring more freshness. These are always the last grapes they pick in Tenerife, even in an early harvest like 2020. The destemmed grapes were pressed and the juice let to settle for 12 to 24 hours and then fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete without temperature control. Sixty-five percent of the wine matured in 2,500-liter oak foudres and the rest in neutral 350-liter barrels with lees. There is a smoky and spicy, flinty touch and a vibrant palate with a spark of acidity that makes the wine very long and tasty. This now plays in the major league. 2020 saw the earliest harvest ever for this wine. 11,000 bottles and 200 magnums were filled in December 2021.