Winemaker Notes
Roberto Santana and Jonatan Garcia refer to their 7 Fuentes as a village wine. The name is a reference to the seven sites in the DO of Valle de la Orotava, where they source the grapes for this cuvee. With a high percentage of old vines, it is a tremendous value and an exceptional introduction to the volcanic terroir found on the slopes of the very active, Teide. Mostly comprised of Listan Negro with a small amount of Tintilla, it is entirely fermented in small stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeast and a short, gentle maceration. About 20% of the cuvee is aged in neutral 500L French oak demi-muids with the remainder resting in concrete.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
García Lima says that, in top vintages like 2018, some growers provide fruit for this blend at the level of his best parcels. A selection from 35 parcels, 10 to 180 years old, rising from 820 to 2,620 feet above the sea, 7 Fuentes is pure Tenerife in its scent of volcanic earth and its explosive energy. The dark fruit feels cool and grounded, supple and luscious, sunny and hard to resist.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The spectacular and super-affordable 2018 7 Fuentes would be the wine I recommend as an introduction to the zone, the variety and the style of the wines. It's mostly Listán Negro with some 10% Castellana Negra (Tinta Cao) from a variety of vineyards ranging between 10 and 200 years of age and at altitudes ranging between 300 to 700 meters above sea level. It fermented in concrete tanks with around 10% full clusters and indigenous yeasts. Seventy percent of the volume was kept in concrete, and the remaining 30% matured in used 500-liter oak barrels for nine months. It's open and expressive, without any reduction, and it has bright red fruit, with freshness, watermelon and redcurrants. It's juicy and approachable but with complexity and freshness on the palate, harmonious and elegant and very tasty. It is an updated version of the 2016. This is a bargain.
The Canary Islands are the southernmost Northern Hemisphere wine region. Because of such a dry climate, grape vines grown on the island are coiled in small craters in the volcanic soil which shelter them from the strong, sun-baked winds. This is the perfect climate for Listan Negro, which is vinified in several styles, from delicate, food-friendly rosés to light and fruity reds made by carbonic maceration (the technique used to make Beaujolais Nouveau), to traditionally-vinified reds aged in oak.
Set of islands off the coast of Morocco and south of Madeira that host a wide range of indigenous and unique grape varieties. Soils are volcanic and recent subsidies from the local government has led to a revival of the islands’ old vines.