Canary Islands Icon : Suertes del Marqués

Jul 15

The family owned Suertes del Marqués is responsible for putting Canary Islands, Tenerife, and the appellation Valle de La Orotava on the world wine map. Though they’ve been producing under this label since 2006, they’ve been wine growers for decades prior, selling their grapes to other wineries in Spain’s ancient volcanically built island of Tenerife. Owner Jonatan Garcia Lima is part of the growing breed of intensely passionate young Spanish producers focusing on the heritage vines, and allowing the volcanic soils to speak through his eloquent, mineral driven wines.

As caretakers of the land, their philosophy is to represent the best of their exceptional soils and indigenous grapes as best they can, interfering as little as possible in the production of their wines. As such, they work with native yeasts, sustainable viticulture, and use minimal amounts of sulphur with all their wines.

Tenerife has a long and fascinating wine history and a wealth of indigenous grape varieties such as Listán Negro, Tintilla and Baboso Negro, many of them grown on 100 year-old pie franco vines. The Orotova Valley is located on the far cooler North side of the island, which features volcanic clay soils and the steep slopes of the Pico del Teide volcano. The estate has some incredibly old, low-yielding vines and produce wines that have freshness, balance, purity of fruit, minerality and an authentic terroir character.

Read more below on wines currently in stock, along with links to purchase.

La Floridita 2023

This light, pale, hazy red is predominantly 100+ year old ungrafted and organic Listán Negro, splashed with 10% Listán Blanco, showcasing Tenerife's volcanic soils at 350-450m. It was fermented in concrete with 4 days on skins before finishing ferment in 2 older 500L barrels, where it remained for 3 months’ rest. This opens with a puff of volcanic reduction that lingers throughout its slight frame, threaded with pink grapefruit, wild plum, wild raspberry, scrubby rosemary on a broken stony base. Acidity is lofted and easy, buoying this to a lingering, saline finish, and tannins are slight. There's a lovely fine texture to this natural red, ideal with a light chill.

Appellation : DO Valle de la Orotava
Region : Tenerife, Canary Islands
Country : Spain
Grape(s) : Listán Negro, Listán Blanco
Price : $35
Case : 6 / case

7 Fuentes 2021

100+ year old ungrafted and organic Listan Negro is splashed with Castellana Negra in this singular wine, showcasing Tenerife's volcanic soils and vineyard altitude up to 750m. Suertes del Marqués considers this their 'village wine', and an introduction to their range.

Careful aging for 9 months in concrete and neutral French oak gives this lighter red ample fine texture and finesse, with wild flowers, wild plum, pink grapefruit, and stony salts wafting throughout the slender frame, woven with volcanic reduction and pink peppercorns. Tannins are spiderweb fine and strong, and acidity is effortless. Give this a light chill.

“The 2021 7 Fuentes was quite similar to the 2020 that I tasted next to it, but this year they merged the 7 Fuentes and 7 Fuentes El Lance into a single cuvée of Listán Negro and 5% Castellana Negra, so it has grapes from more vineyards, 30 different ones. It fermented with 20% full clusters in concrete with indigenous yeasts and matured for 11 months, 50% in concrete and 50% in used 500-liter oak barrels; then it was blended and kept in stainless steel for a further eight months. It has 12.63% alcohol and good acidity and freshness. This is quite approachable and less reductive and at the same time fresher. They have been working to increase the pH of the soil to get less reduction in the wines; each year as the soils are healthier, there is less reduction in the wines. 50,400 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2023.” - 93+ points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate

Appellation : DO Valle de la Orotava
Region : Tenerife, Canary Islands
Country : Spain
Grape(s) : Listán Negro, Castellana Negra
Price : $30
Case : 12 / case

NAT'Cool! 2021

In collaboration with Niepoort, another visionary winemaker, this is Suertes des Marqués’ version of NAT’Cool! All the NAT'Cool! range of wines were created to meet certain criteria : be made as naturally as possible, be low alcohol, be terroir-driven, use native grapes to the region, be affordable, and be so smashable that it's only sold in 1L bottles. This Listán Negro came from a vineyards with loamy clay soils, 420-460m. It was native fermented whole berry in concrete, where it rested 6 months.

Opening with a quick puff of reduction, this moves into downy plum, wild cherry, persimmon, candle wax, with chewy / sticky black tea tannins to frame. Acidity is bright throughout, and marine laced. Enjoy with a slight chill and charcuterie platter.

“The Nat'Cool red 2022 Suertes Cool has moderate alcohol (12.3%). It fermented in concrete with low extraction, it has low added sulfur and it is made with indigenous yeasts and was bottled unoaked. It was produced with 100% Listán Negro. It has a mellow character and integrated acidity, reflecting a warmer year, with a juicy mouthfeel and fruit-driven flavors. It feels quite reductive and herbal, pungent and with a polished palate with almost unnoticeable tannins. 4,000 bottles were filled after the wine matured in concrete for six months.” - 92points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, Nov 30, 2023.

Appellation : DO Valle de la Orotava
Region : Tenerife, Canary Islands
Country : Spain
Grape(s) : Listán Negro
Price : $37 / 1000mL
Case : 6 / case

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Cheers,