In 2020, star sommelier Terry Kandylis found himself in Ribera del Duero. Here, high in the hills around Canalejas de Peñafiel, he came upon some very old, abandoned vineyards. In a region known for modern, highly extracted wines, these gnarled old bush vines recall an earlier way of doing things. Inspired, Terry set up Bendito Destino to bring these endangered plots back to life. Through diligent farming and a Burgundian approach to winemaking, Bendito Destino has become one of Spain’s most exciting wine projects. For lovers of fine, artisanal wine, it is now a must-have allocation.
The Bendito Destino vineyards range from 80 to more than 100 years old. The vines are mainly Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Albillo, co-planted with rare local varieties. Most of the wines are field blends, with multiple varieties co-fermented by plot. Terry’s winemaking takes its lead from top artisanal Burgundy, with wild yeast fermentations, gentle extraction and ageing in a variety of vessels, from concrete tanks to top-of-the-range barrels. It’s a simple, high quality approach, designed to draw out the character of these rare old vineyards.
While the Bendito Destino ‘village’ wines are superb, Terry also crafts site-specific cuvées in minuscule volumes. These are astonishingly complex, and are already taking their rightful place alongside the finest of new wave Spain.
