Domaine South
José Pastor Selections Wine Tasting
New Arrivals from Portugal, Spain, Canary Islands, & Argentina!
Special Guest, Beth Farris of Grassroots
Friday, September 25th, 4pm - 6pm
$20 per person
256-759-9952 to Reserve
Llaurador Wines LLC was founded by José Pastor in 2014 but the "José Pastor Selections" back label has been synonymous with authentic Spanish wines for more than two decades. Our longevity has always been based on taking risks (the good kind). We entered the scene at a moment in wine history when regional and traditionally made Spanish wines were disappearing and being replaced by an international style stripped of terroir. It was a time when chemicals in the vineyard and manipulation in the winery were the most celebrated and profitable. Long before it was fashionable, we championed the work of traditionally minded growers who believed in a minimalist approach in the vines and in the cellar.
From old-school Rioja – a near extinct expression of Spanish winemaking – to the historic wines of Jerez and noble wines of Galicia, we’ve introduced wine lovers to little-known grapes such as Palomino and Mencía from the ancient, underappreciated terraces of Ribeira Sacra. We’ve helped Americans rediscover the rare and own-rooted vineyards of the Canary Islands. Seeking out these almost forgotten regional and delicious wines and bringing them to our customers, while helping the small growers thrive, is what continues to drive us.
In recent years the portfolio has expanded to include like-minded growers in neighboring Portugal, Japan and the Americas. We don't own private brands. We’re simply devoted to our winegrowers, the people who grow the grapes and make the wine. They’re the true unsung heroes.
The Wines
2025 Quinta Do Ermizo Vinho Verde, Portugal $19.99
A blend of Loureiro and Trajadura grapes. Grown on granitic soil, with limited intervention and organic practices in the area between the Douro and the Minho rivers in Portugal.
Fresh! Tropical notes on the nose. Pineapple top, tangerine blossom, mineral tones on the finish give this some Albarino-style vibes. Characteristic light fizz that's classic Vinho Verde.
Hand-harvested grapes. The grapes are harvested separately, vinified, then blended. Fermented using wild yeast, entirely in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation is blocked to preserve freshness. A modest amount of sulfites and C02 are added at bottling.
2024 Envinate Benje Blanco, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain $33.99
Pleasant aromas of white fruits such as pear and apple, accompanied by delicate floral notes reminiscent of wildflowers. On the palate, its character unfolds with a creamy and well-balanced texture, thanks to its time ageing on the lees, providing an enveloping sensation. A refreshing acidity imparts vivacity, making each sip a moment that renews the interest for the next. The 2025 vintage stands out for its freshness and elegance, attributes that make this wine especially recommended for those seeking expressive and well-structured whites.
Envínate Benje Blanco is a white wine made on lees by Envínate with the Listán Blanca variety in the D.O. Ycoden-Daute-Isora (Canary Islands).
The Envínate project is run by four wine lovers who met while studying oenology in Alicante. Alfonso Torrente, José ángel Martínez, Laura Ramos and Roberto Santana are great champions of fresh and Atlantic wines, so it is not surprising that their main creations are made in the Canary Islands and Ribeira Sacra (Galicia). They focus on unique vineyards and adapt their production to suit the characteristics of each vintage. This results in very authentic wines that faithfully reflect each of the terroirs.
The Envínate Benje Blanco wine comes from Santiago del Teide (Canary Islands), an area lying 1,000 metres above sea level in the northwest of the island with a climate characterised by low humidity and high sunshine. These are old vineyards aged between 60 and 120 years old that are planted in volcanic soil made up of red rocks and basalt. They are cultivated using environmentally friendly agriculture and the harvest is carried out manually when the grapes reach optimum ripeness.
In the winery, the Envínate Benje Blanco grapes are directly pressed and the resulting must spontaneously ferments in concrete tanks and small open buckets with native yeasts. The wine then ages on its lees for 8 months in concrete tanks and neutral French oak barrels. It is finally bottled, adding only the minimum amount of sulphur.
Envínate Benje Blanco is a fruity and juicy white wine that is made in the heart of Teide. That is where the name Benje comes from. In the Guanche Canarian aboriginal language it means crater, a characteristic circular depression that is right next to the volcano. This wine is a tribute to a very special island area where there are no production wineries left.
2024 Canopus "Nox" Malbec Pet Nat, Vinos de Frio, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina $27.99
100% Malbec from 20-year-old vines planted on calcareous limestone rich soils at 1090m elevation. The grapes were harvested by hand and pressed without skin contact, then started fermentation in plastic fermenters. The wine was bottled after 1 month with approximately 15g residual sugar to develop bubbles in the ancestral method. Fermentation continued and the wine rested for 7 months before release.
His location found, Gabriel planted 8 hectares of Malbec and 2 hectares of other red and white varieties in 2009, at roughly 990 meters of elevation between the Río Tunuyán and the Arroyo de los Papagayos. The heights of the Chilean and Argentine Andes frame the vineyards to the west. The area is quite cold: frosts are a constant enemy in the spring and the grapes ripen slowly on the vine. Even in warm years, the wines demonstrate a freshness and structure that is uncommon in Argentinian wine. This is the nature of the terroir, but also reflects Gabriel’s tastes: his Malbecs, often fermented partially whole cluster, recall the wines of Cahors and the structure of Northern Rhône Syrah.
2024 Vera de Estenas Bobal Utiel-Requena, Valencia, Spain $16.99
Founded in 1945 by Francisco Martinez Bermell, Vera de Estenas has been crafting wines from their 47 hectares of estate fruit since their inception. Situated at 800m elevation near the mouth of the Estenas river near the foot of the Sierra del Remedio mountains, their en vaso trained vineyards run northwest to southeast along a broad swath of calcareous clay soils. Summer brings scorching heat, but a cooling wind called the Solano brings relief, and nighttime temperatures can drop substantially due to the high elevation, helping to preserve acidity in the grapes. Under the current leadership of Felix Martinez, Vera de Estenas is producing some of the region’s most compelling wines from Bobal vines as old as 100 years.
Aromas of black plum and cranberry sauce mix with cinnamon and potting-soil earth notes. The palate is rich with ever-present tannins, stewed plum and raspberry fruit with enough acidity to keep things moving into a savory, earthy finish.
2024 Envinate Albahra Tinto, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain $33.99
92 points Vinous: The 2024 Albahra blends 65% Garnacha Tintorera and 35% Moravia Agria from the chalk soils of Albacete, Castilla-La Mancha. It opens with expressive fruit aromas of sour cherry and rose, accented by menthol and lavender notes. This fermented primarily in concrete, with the Moravia Agria aged in barrels. It is an intelligent, well-conceived expression that shows both intensity and a touch of grip. (LG)
Albahra (Castilian for “small sea”) is named for the vineyard area in the Almansa region close to the town of Albacete, located at the southeastern tip of Castilla-La Mancha. The Garnacha Tintorera (aka Alicante Bouschet) is from a 3- parcel vineyard on clay/calcareous soils. The Moravia Agria (a high-acid, low alcohol blending grape) is from a single vineyard on sandy clay-calcareous soils in neighboring Manchuela, which is pruned to get larger grapes, since there is only 50 hectares of Moravia Agria left in Spain.
All grapes are hand-harvested and vinified separately by parcel. The Garnacha Tintorera is foot-trodden in vat with 30-50% stems included and 6-10 days skin maceration, then fermented and raised on fine lees in concrete for 8 months; the Moravia Agria is completely destemmed and sees 7 days maceration before being pressed and raised on fine lees in used French barriques for 8 months, all without battonage. The wine is then blended and bottled unfined, unfiltered and with very little sulfur added.
This is a wine with a pure high-toned nose, floral red fruit, with hints of spice and bursting with minerality. An extremely versatile food wine.