Wednesday 11 June 2014

Fino en rama Cruz Vieja 15%, Faustino Gonzalez

Appearance
Pale golden straw with some legs.
Nose
Really interesting, there is a bit of sweetness there, balanced by loads of yeasty flor freshness, and a doughy bitterness follows, then there is a gentle savoury, autolytic note, hints of toast, presumably from the barrel fermentation, and more yeastiness, quite complex, and most attractive. This could age well for a bit longer... What about another solera where the wine is aged to say 10 years?
Palate
That sweetness continues though the wine is certainly not sweet - it is more soft, low acid, giving one quite the wrong impression and then the bitterness of the flor comes through like a grand finale, balancing everything up nicely. Idiosyncratic, characterful, and quite delicious.
Comments
This is the first official (bottled) release of this delightful Fino, specially for Vinoble 2014. It comes from a small solera of 62 butts, and most unusually, is fermented in butts. This is a saca limited to only 1,260 bottles. The wine has been sold for some time in bulk to tabancos, however. This small family business with its own vineyards and a beautiful old bodega right in the heart of Jerez really deserves to succeed, and I think they will, with wines like this and a little careful promotion.
Price
Probably around 8-10 Euros in Spain for a 75cl bottle





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