JF Perez Los Loros Listan Negro 2020

This wine is made from 100% Listán Negro grapes grown on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. It's from non-grafted vines at 700-1300 meters elevation, planted 50 years ago. 

When we pick a theme for a release, there's often wines that get left by the wayside. Now that we've grown to almost 350 members across all of our clubs, the quantity of wine available can often limit what wines make it into a box. Such is the story with this incredibly interesting and delicious wine from the Canary Islands. We couldn't get 350 bottles, but we can get about a third of that, so I just said "send it all." This one ticks all the boxes for what makes a wine interesting to us (and the juice proves it too):

- Grown organically with zero sulfur added 

- Comes from a small wine region where things are done traditionally  

- Is made from an interesting grape that deserves more attention  

- The vines are own-rooted (meaning ungrafted)  

- Made in small quantities by a conscientious producer  

- Tells the story of the vineyard it came from and the land it's grown in  

- Is balanced, fresh and elegant, ready to pair with food or to drink on its own  

It's not that any one of those is a particular dealbreaker or deal-maker with a wine–it still has to taste good and make sense for us in the end, but this one is full of green flags that encourage us to embrace a wine for its transparency and individuality, rather than its adherence to a marketing/lifestyle aesthetic.

This is a wine that's very true to its place and brings a flavor profile unlike any wine we've put on offer in recent memory. It's evocative of an Etna Rosso with its baked cranberries, dried herbs and slightly chewy (but gentle) tannins. But also it reminds me of Spanish mountain Garnacha with its ripe strawberry and toasted white peppercorn notes. 

This wine is a perfect wine of contemplation – it's complex and earthy with lots of juicy fruit to back up the pepper, herbs and funk– but also at home with a variety of foods. This would slap with Piri Piri Chicken, BBQ pork sandwiches, mixed roasted veggies, or any pastas or pizzas with a red sauce base. It's a study in versatility and freshness.