Hontanares is the name of the slope in the village of Canalejas de Peñafiel, where most of Bendito Destino’s vineyards are located. At approximately 900m altitude, and facing north-west, the plot that this wine is made of, gets sheltered from the morning sun (which helps a lot with acid retention). The topsoil is a thin layer of sandy-loam (20-35cm) which then goes straight into limestone with fractures of clay. Those fractures are crucially important as they provide humidity deposits, and air pockets which give the roots a much needed push to dig deeper.
The vines are registered in 1921, and they are a combination of predominately Tinto Fino, Garnatcho, Valenciano (Bobal), and indigenous whites Pirules, Alarije, and Albillo Mayor. In 2022 the lack of water and the fluctuations in temperature resulted in a more rustic expression, but still refined and elegant. The grapes were destemmed by hand, retaining the berries intact and there was a 35% stem inclusion. Pressing gently with a basket press, the wine was left to settle for two days and then racked into a 500L Rare Francois Freres puncheon. It was bottled after 24 months, and released in April 2025.
