Viñátigo Vino de Parcela Maipe Macizo de Anaga-Taganana 2021

Mineral & Vibrant

Juan Jesús, who is a 4th generation winemaker, founded Viñátigo in 1990 and has worked tirelessly since then identifying, recuperating the native grapes of the Canary Islands.

Maipe is a vineyard located in Taganana: a tiny village located in the Anaga Massif, in the North-east of Tenerife. The vines were planted ungrafted more than 120 years ago. In the early 1900's, the landslide of one of the mountains of the Monte de Las Vueltas buried the vineyard. Over the last 100 years, the vines have unburied themselves, creating a unique viticultural landscape; a sign of an heroic viticulture.

Anaga's Massif was one of the first geological buildings that emerged from the ocean 11 million years ago when the island of Tenerife started to form. The volcanic soils in this area are more eroded than the soils in the central part of the island, and have a bigger amount of silt and clay in their composition. The abundance of rocks gives good drainage and the deepening of the roots in the ground.

The climate is influenced by the Trade Winds that blow from the North of the Atlantic, which lead to fresh wines with tension and a balanced natural acidity.

Maipe 2021 was fermented with native yeasts in concrete, and was aged for five months in French oak barrels. The concept was to respect the traditional ancient method of the area using modern winemaking elements such as concrete tanks. Historically, the wines from Taganana have always had a golden hue due to the oxidation that happens when a wine is made in a porous environment, like concrete and wood.

Both on the nose and the palate, the wine shows a special complexity. On the nose, it is reminiscent of a warm and dry summer vintage, with aromas of orange peel, thyme, fennel, honeysuckle and sous-bois. On the palate it is dense and ample, due to the ageing over its lees, with no stirring. Maipe has tension, structure and balance on the palate thanks to its natural acidity.