Suertes del Marques 'El Esquilón' 2019

Leading Tenerife’s vinous renaissance for the past two decades, Suertes del Marqués is crafting some of Spain’s most exciting wines today.

Buying up vineyards and selling most of his crop to local domaines in 1986, Francisco García Lima only started producing wine commercially from 2006. As he introduced organic, low-interventionist philosophies and his son Jonatan took over the 9ha estate in 2016, Suertes del Marqués has become ground zero for a new wave of Tenerife fine wine.

Jonatan farms 9ha of indigenous old-vine varieties – some more than 200 years old – on volcanic clay and sand soils in the steep Orotova Valley, an appellation where cloud cover moderates temperatures by some 10°C compared to the rest of the island. Trained with a rare technique called cordón trenzado, the long vine canes are painstakingly tied back to their sinewy roots after pruning, then propped off the floor with poles.

Production is split 25% between white wine made from Listán Blanco (Palomino) – unlike that grown in Sherry country, here it has mouth-watering acidity and a signature smokiness – and 75% red made from Listán Negro and Tintilla (Garnacha). Fresh and peppery with round, supple tannins, they resonate with a volcanic mineral backbone.

A north-facing plot on rocky volcanic soil at 450-550m elevation. Planted in 1930s and 1950s. 14 months in neutral oak. Pure, whole-bunch fruit with smoky-herbal nuances and gorgeous interplay between freshness and depth akin to a volcanic Nebbiolo.

95 Points, Wine Advocate