*Vintage may vary by location*

The Benje wines are from vineyards in and around Santiago del Teide, high on the northwestern volcanic slopes of the island of Tenerife. The viticulture is very old fashioned: the vines grow untrained, the soil is worked by hand, and no chemicals are used. The island experiences a fairly temperate climate, enabling grapes to ripen at moderate alcohol levels while retaining bright acidity. The main challenges to viticulture are winds from the Atlantic and Africa and fluctuations in humidity. Benje Tinto is sourced from several old-vine, untrained pie franco parcels of Listan Prieto (aka Mission or País). Each parcel is hand-harvested during the first half of September, destemmed and vinified separately, some in concrete tank and some in small open tubs. Maceration is 10-20 days (depending on parcel) with daily punch-downs, pressed 40% into concrete tank and the remainder into neutral French barriques for malolactic fermentation and aging on fine lees for 8 months, without battonage or added SO2. Bottling is without filtration, and clarified using natural vegetable proteins.

• Listan Prieto •