White Blend, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

This wine blew us away at a recent tasting, our favourite cuvée from Spain’s beloved Envinate. Taganan Blanco is an iconic expression of remarkable volcanic vines, both pensive and poundable. Taganan means ‘slopes’ in Guancha, a nod to the local dialect of Tenerife, the island smack dab in the middle of the Canaries. It is also the name of the volcanic land these vines call home. A blend of regional white varieties and some Portuguese expat grapes, ranging from 60 to 300 years old, the fruit is low-yielding and saturated. Separately fermented, textural albillo and gual combine with herbaceous marmajuelo, tart and mineral lìstan blanco and lush malvasia for a swirling daydream of electric flavour. A portion of these grapes see skin contact for broad body, while others are aged in stainless steel for crisp freshness, and the rest age in neutral oak to highlight their silken texture. This ashen blend is torched meyer lemon rind, palm leaf ash, white peaches in whipped almond custard, dried flowers in a heritage building, sparks from a vintage zippo, and all-white linen on a California king. Unwrap this gem alongside grilled octopus, nutty salads with salmon centrepieces, or the biggest seafood tower you can find.