From the steep volcanic slopes of northern Tenerife, La Santa de Úrsula 2022 by Envínate captures the wild Atlantic character of the Canary Islands. The wine comes from Tacoronte-Acentejo, one of Tenerife’s oldest appellations, where centenarian pie franco vines cling to sandy clay soils over red basalt, cooled by ocean winds and shaped by dramatic elevations.
Envínate — founded by four friends after studying oenology in Alicante — has become one of the defining voices of contemporary Spanish wine. Their philosophy is simple: let each parcel speak clearly through old vineyards, organic farming and minimal intervention.
La Santa de Úrsula is made mainly from listán negro and negramoll, with a tiny touch of listán blanco. Each parcel is fermented separately using varying proportions of whole bunches, destemmed fruit and semi-carbonic maceration, all with indigenous yeasts. Ageing takes place for around eight months in old French barrels, and the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulphur.
La Santa de Úrsula 2022 (Envínate)
In the glass, a translucent ruby colour with violet reflections. The nose offers wild strawberry, sour cherry, rose petals, dried herbs and volcanic smoke. On the palate, it is fresh, savoury and finely textured, with juicy red fruit, silky tannins, vibrant acidity and a salty mineral edge that lingers beautifully on the finish. A wine of energy, perfume and Atlantic tension.
