Description
Terry Kandylis has had an illustrious career as a sommelier that has seen him running wine programs at some of the UK’s most famed institutions including 67 Pall Mall, The Fat Duck and the Noble Rot group. He won UK’s Best Sommelier in 2015, and Greece’s Best Sommelier in 2016—until the pandemic came along and threw a spanner in the works.
A detour to Ribera del Duero en route to the Canary Islands in late 2020 led Terry to some of the most historic (and abandoned) vineyards he had ever seen. As his excitement grew, he worked with the oldest vigneron in the village of Canalejas de Penafiel to develop greater insights to the region and began planning to revitalise these plots. This led to the formation of Bendito Destino. Today, 40% of the domaine’s holdings are vines over 100 years old.
Terry applies a gentle touch in the cellar; spontaneous fermentation, gentle extraction of a combination of whole berry and whole bunch, minimal use of new oak. Utmost respect while working through the parcels culminates in a series of 6 single vineyard bottlings, including a single vineyard white bottling of a centenarian Albillo.
Bendito Destino, or ‘Blessed Destiny’, represents how Terry feels that he is blessed to be able to work with these vineyards and their history. The wines demonstrate the potential of Ribera del Duero, with detailed layers of flavour and balance while retaining vibrancy, life and nuance.
