amflorisms blog
Brothers Pepe and Paco Blanco are firm believers that vineyard and vine are the heart of good wines, and this trio of unfortified Palomino Fino wines, the grapes for each from a different single albariza vineyard, follow the same vinification and ageing practices, fabulously illustrating how the different terroir of each vineyard influences each wine.
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Closed by the Consejo Regulador with a wax seal and red ribbon, Añada sherries, produced from a single vintage, have seen a renaissance in recent years. With an established tradition of vintage sherries from as far back as 1920, Williams & Humbert’s Colección Añadas is a new venture under oenologist Paola Medina, aiming to produce unusual biologically aged Añada sherries at an accessible price. From one vintage sherry to another, though this time not from a single vintage, is González Byass’ ubiquitous Tío Pepe, bottled in the 1980s, then aged for several further decades, giving an enlightening experience into how biologically aged sherries can develop in bottle.
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While many Sherry houses can trace their roots back hundreds of years, Antonio Barbadillo Mateos and Bodegas Alonso are amongst a few rising stars defying convention with fantastic results. The work of Antonio Barbadillo Mateos, of the Barbadillo dynasty, Sacristía AB is a Manzanilla de autor, bottled from a selection of butts at Bodegas Yuste. At Bodegas Alonso, the wealthy Asencio brothers eventually plan to bottle Manzanilla offering beginning to end, vineyard to bottle traceability, but for now, Manzanilla Velo Flor is an astonishing creation from bought in wines.
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Claiming to be the oldest bodega still active today, Delgado Zuleta’s story begins in the 18th century, passing through family hands and surviving mergers along the way. Widely known for their ubiquitous flagship Manzanilla, named after the famous flamenco dancer Aurora Jauffre ‘La Goya’, Delgado Zuleta have today ventured into more innovative releases. Bottled under cork in a conventional clear glass wine bottle, their Entusiástico Manzanilla encourages people to enjoy as they would any other unfortified wine, and challenges the perception that sherry can’t age. Their sought after Goya XL needs no introduction.
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Alonso Ruiz Olivares never forgot his dream of becoming a sherry bodeguero for over 40 years, finally being realised when he bought a small bodega in 2007, renaming it Mons Urium. Sherry is a contagious condition, and so much like Alonso’s father before him, daughter Rocío Ruiz caught the bug. Devoted to the bodega and passionate about the wines they produce, Alonso and daughter Rocío are extremely generous hosts who welcomed us as friends to their bodega.
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Manzanilla, bone dry and saline, with intensity and finesse from ageing under flor in the bodegas of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Three wines from the bodegas Hijos de Rainera Pérez Marín, starting with the en rama release of the ubiquitous La Guita Manzanilla (with a little bottle age), then thanks to sherry aficionados Navazos, two fabulous wines with obvious Sanluqueña origins, the La Bota No. 59 Manzanilla Pasada and La Bota No. 58 Amontillado. Priceless? You decide, but undoubtedly worth mucho guita.
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Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castilla produces exceptional sherries thanks to the passionate work of Norwegian born, long term Andalusian resident and true gentleman, Jan Petterson. With care taken from vineyard to bottle, these sherries and brandies are of serious quality, but the bodega remains a relatively small, artisan producer.
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Manzanilla, bone dry and saline, with intensity and finesse from ageing under flor in the bodegas of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Today’s post looks at two more obscure examples, each very distinctive and with it’s own particular characteristics, and both with an intriguing story behind the wine enjoyed today. From sherry aficionados Equipo Navazos, the seventh in their classic line of La Bota de Manzanilla series, No. 55, and the Manzanilla Pasada ‘Blanquito’ from former Almacenista turned boutique bodega Callejuela.
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Manzanilla sherries are conventionally drunk young and fresh, however en rama bottlings can offer excellent potential for bottle ageing, and here[…]
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