José Saramago

PRODUCTION

Harvest was done on 26 and 27 August 2019. The grape bunches were kept in cold storage. On 28 August, they were carefully destemmed, so most of the grapes remained whole in the tank. The strains of yeasts previously isolated by El Grifo  ere inoculated to begin fermentation. Once fermentation was over, we kept the skins in the tank for two more days. Pressing was done on 6 September and we returned the wine to the tank in order for spontaneous malolactic fermentation to ake place. The wine was kept in the tank for approximately two years and, given how beautifully it aged, we chose not to move it to barrels. It was bottled on 23 November 2021, and since then, it has continued to age in the bottle.

CULTURE

The natives of Lanzarote owe Saramago a great debt. Some of us even enjoyed his generosity. He sponsored the 225th anniversary of El Grifo and wrote the prologue to the book La tonelería tradicional y los vinos de Canarias (“Traditional ooperage and Wines from the Canary Islands”) by Juan José Otamendi, which was published by the winery in 2000.

TASTING NOTES

Colour: Clear and bright. Medium bodied and cherry red. There’s a slight change in colour due to ageing.

Aroma: Medium-high intensity. Ripe fruits reminiscent of quince. Pleasant balsamic notes, with fennel, black pepper and hints of aniseed. It developed the characteristic aromas of iodine and talcum powder of Syrah during ageing.

Taste: Complex and lingering, silky and smooth, with elegant, ripe tannins. Same balsamic character on the palate, together with ripe black fruits and black liquorice.

ANALYSIS

ABV 13º | Residual Sugar 0.68 g/L | Total Acidity 4.6 g/L | pH 3.50
Total SO 2 67 mg/L