2022 Anima Negra Quibia Mallorca 750 ml

Mallorca’s got beauty. Tourists flock there to take in the dramatic coastlines, pristine beaches, and arresting mountain backdrops. But those who turn their attention to the 2022 Ànima Negra Quíbia will find that the Spanish island offers equally captivating beauty in the glass. 

Quíbia is a crisp and invigorating wine, a crowd-pleaser made from two native varieties grown almost solely on Mallorcan soil. The Prensal grape contributes roundness and aromatic complexity, while Giró Ros lends minerality and acidity. The wine is floral and minerally on the nose, with yuzu, grapefruit, and white peach on the palate. Beneath it all is an undercurrent of salinity that carries subtle green almond, fennel, and Mediterranean herbs. 

A taste may leave you wondering where Mallorcan wines have been hiding. The answer: on Mallorca. Locals, tourists, and restaurants on the island snap most of them up. Yet Vinous says Ànima Negra “has largely been responsible for getting the word out to the world that top-class wines can be made on Mallorca.”

Their winery sits on a historic estate in Mallorca’s southwest, with vineyard parcels dotting the six-mile radius around it like satellites. A sunbather’s paradise, the island gets around 300 sunny days per year, which helps the grapes develop exceptional ripeness. The proximity to the sea provides enough cool breezes to keep acidity in balance.   

Founders Pere Ignasi Obrador and Miguelàngel Cerdà tend their old, head-trained vines with great respect. They use dry farming techniques to produce densely concentrated fruit, eschewing fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides whenever possible. When their Prensal and Giró Ros hit the cellar, the duo ferments with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks, yielding a wine that’s pure, refreshing, and wholly Mallorcan.