The Envinate Albahra is back, and the new vintage is another huge success. And I am pleased to announce we received 14 of the 40 cases that made it to North Carolina this year. One of Spain’s and the world’s most exciting young producers, Envinate’s wines have officially “gone cult.”
The past three vintages of the Envinate Albahra have scored 95-97 points, and I guarantee you the 2019 will register similar marks. This is natural wine done right, and I’m offering this one up at one of the best prices in the country. Keep reading if interested…the story only gets better.
2019 Envinate Albahra
96 points Team Table Wine, 94 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
To place your order, stop by the store or click here to order this item in our online store.
This is a wine that gets better every vintage. Albahra (Castilian for “small sea”) is a blend of 75% Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) and 25% Moravia Agria from high altitude, organically farmed vineyards in Almansa and Manchuela. The Garnacha Tintorera contributes the rich and concentrated notes of fresh berries and Mediterranean herbs. And the Moravia Agria, a super rare and indigenous Spanish grape, adds freshness, acidity, and gorgeous floral notes.
If you haven’t heard of Envinate, it’s understandable. They make tiny amounts of wine, mainly in the Canary Islands (we’ve got those too), but they also make a few wines from special sites on mainland Spain. Supply never meets demand, and that’s because they’re so darned good.
Envinate translates to “wine yourself,” and this project was founded in 2005 by four friends who studied enology together in Alicante. Their collective aim is to make profoundly pure and authentic wines that express the unique characteristics of each vineyard they work with. To achieve this, organic and biodynamic farming is practiced, all grapes are hand picked, the grapes are foot-trodden, the wines are fermented with native yeasts, and the wines are finished with minimal levels of sulfites.
Their Albahra is their most accessible wine, both in terms of quantity produced and flavor profile. In the 2019 vintage, they produced 4,000 cases for worldwide distribution….that’s not a lot of wine. And I strongly urge the “wine adventurer in you” to try this wonderful stuff. If I tasted it blind, I’d think it was French. There’s traits of Red Burgundy, Northern Rhone Syrah, and Cru Beaujolais all present here. What I most love about this wine is the combination of intensity and finesse. The color is dark and the flavors assertive, but there’s refreshing acidity present as well. For fans of Cru Beaujolais, more rustic Red Burgundies, or more elegant Northern Rhone Syrahs, you’ve got to try this.
With fall and cooler weather arriving this weekend, this is the wine you want to be drinking. Extremely versatile at the table, it shines with roasted meats, slow braised stews, and earthy root vegetables. But it’s mighty tasty with nothing more than a glass and a good friend. It gives me great pleasure to offer up wines like this one to the wine lovers of Asheville and beyond. Based on last year’s success with this wine, I predict this will fly out of the store fast.
To place your order, stop by the store or click here to order this item in our online store.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville