Borja Perez Ignios Vijariego Negro 2018

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

100% Vijariego Negro (also known as Sumoll)

Elegant, expressive and complex with notes of spicy red and black berries, savoury herbs and a hint of volcanic earth on the nose. The palate has high acidity with rustic herbaceous notes balanced by a fine tannins. This is a true joy to drink and also discover a really lesser known local grape from high altitude and volcanic soils.

Borja Perez is a rising star of the Canary Island wine scene. A former racing car mechanic, Borja inherited the family business in 2011 and decided to bottle his own wine rather than sell off the fruit. He works only with local varieties like Listan Blanco, Listan Negro, Marmajuelo, Vijariego Negro and Baboso Negro by restoring old ungrafted vineyards back to full health and also planting new vineyards. Borja has developed a reputation as one of the best viticulturists in the Canaries. He is located in the DO appellation Ycoden-Daute-Isora in Tenerife’s north west, the volcanic, maritime vineyards here range from low coastal elevations to around 800m on average, with the most extreme sites climbing as high as 1,400m. Proximity to the Atlantic and its constant cooling winds and natural humidity conspire to produce a very exciting, yet challenging, climate for wine production. In the cellar, Borja takes a minimal intervention approach with no additions at all other than a touch of sulphur at bottling.