16.11.17 González Byass Releases Ancient Moscatel

Thought to have been made in the 1850s or 1860s this ancient Moscatel was made before Phylloxera ravaged Jerez in the 1890s. It comes from a single butt laid down in honour of the appointment of Pope Pius X in 1903, and who went on to be canonised in 1954. The wine is made from the Moscatel Menudo grape which was one of 40 permitted in those pre Denominacion de Origen days, but has long been superseded by the Moscatel de Alejandría, and has an alcoholic strength of only 9°. After well over a century of ageing there only remained some 90 litres of wine in the butt which was enough for 120 bottles. Of these, 100 will be sold at £1,000 each, while the rest will be kept at the bodega. Naturally the wine is amazingly intense, but apparently has a remarkable freshness nonetheless.

Manzanilla Predilecta 15%, Bodegas Carbajo Ruiz

Appearance

Bright pale lemony gold with golden highlights.

Nose

Quite floral with notes of meadow flowers and camomile along with saline marine notes and  nicely balanced flor. There are slight fruit notes as well with hints of apple and apricot. It is all nicely balanced, fresh and open.

Palate

A yeasty flor start opens out allowing the fruity floral character to come out but the flor is there throughout. It is very dry and light with average acidity and an attractive minerality and really quite complex for its age and has very good length with a lovely bitter flor twist at the end.

Comments

This attractive Manzanilla is made from grapes grown in the firm's own vineyards, all on Jerez Superior albarizas, while the bodega is located in the Barrio Alto of Sanlúcar. Despite being in business since the dawn of the XX century, the firm is not particularly well known outside Sanlúcar and its wines are not seen around very often. That in no way implies that their quality is inferior however. This Manzanilla is aged for an average of three years and is at that attractive stage where there are still traces of fruit to balance the flor.

Price

6.50 euros, De Albariza

 

Beta Sur NV 12.5%, Bodegas Barbadillo

Appearance

Bright pale gold with golden glints and a persistent bead of very fine bubbles.

Nose

Clean and super fresh with apples, apple tart, yeasty bakery aromas with a mineral edge and traces of crystallised fruit and flowers. The Palomino gives it the apple and the Chardonnay gives it a bit more breadth and seriousness and a buttery hint, but there is still a trace of wonderful Sanlúcar wildness.

Palate

It starts out fresh and crisp with a faintly saline mineral note and plenty of apple, then the Chardonnay comes through with more weight and with an almost toast and butter flavour. Acidity is perfect giving it an attractive tang, and the lack of any dosage means the wine is very dry and elegant without sugar obscuring the flavour. It is beautifully balanced (or poised, even) and much more complex than Beta Brut and more intense with a long super clean finish.   

Comments

This is a new version of the well-established and successful Beta Brut which was the first traditional method sparkling wine produced in Cádiz. Beta Sur is made from the same Palomino and Chardonnay grapes hand-harvested from the firm's own albariza vineyards, and is fermented in stainless steel tanks at low temperature for 2 weeks before bottling for the second fermentation. It is then allowed to age on its lees in bottle for 20 months rather than 9. This allows the wine to absorb more flavour from the lees and develop an even finer mousse. After ageing, the lees are disgorged and the level in the bottle is topped up with the same wine rather than a mix of wine and sugar (dosage) allowing it to be categorised as brut nature as it contains under 2 g/l sugars. While the label does not declare a vintage it is almost certainly 100% 2015. The blend works really well, and the wine is delicious.

Price
8 euros ex bodega

Table Wine Bodegas: Cortijo de Jara

Cortijo de Jara is the Brand name for the agricultural products produced by the group of businesses Puerta Nueva SL run by the García Angulo family which grow various crops like chickpeas and olives as well as wine. They started out more as farmers, but as agricultural produce fell increasingly into the hands of multinationals they felt they had to change, so in 2002 they planted olives and vines on the land once used for wheat and sunflowers.

The cortijo (or farmstead) is an XVIII century, typically Andaluz set of farm buildings, and the name Jara derives from Xara, an piece of land awarded to the area after its reconquest from the Moors by Alfonso X in the XIII century.  The buildings were restored and the cortijo now has full modern bodega facilities neatly fitted into what were once granaries around a central patio. These include grape reception equipment, de-stemmer, temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation tanks, temperature controlled barrel warehouse, laboratory and a bottling and packaging plant. They also have a shop located in a beautiful old house at Calle Medina, 79 in Jerez.

The estate is very large and includes 130 hectares of Arbequina olives which make outstanding Extra Virgin oil. The vineyards amount to 14 hectares and, like all the cortijo’s produce, are virtually organic. A nearby lake helps moderate the climate. They are planted mainly to reds: Tempranillo (60%), Merlot (20%), Syrah (20%) and include 2 hectares of whites: Sauvignon Blanc (20%) and Gewürztraminer (80%), the latter being the first to be planted in the province. Harvesting is done at night where necessary. While the red wines belong to the DO Vinos de la Tierra de Cádiz, the white does not as Gewürztraminer is not authorised. The family has invested huge sums and is prepared to wait for any profits as their philosophy is quality above quantity. A number of medals has proved that the quality is certainly there.

White Wines:

Cortijo de Jara Blanco: Gewürztraminer with a dash of Sauvignon

Red Wines:

Cortijo de Jara Joven: Tempranillo, no oak

Cortijo de Jara Roble: Tempranillo, Merlot, Syrah aged 6 months in oak

Cortijo de Jara Crianza: Tempranillo, Merlot, Syrah aged 12 months in oak

Visits? Yes by appointment, also celebrations catered for

Address: Carretera Estella del Marqués-Gibalbín, km 5.2

Telephone: (+34) 956 338 163

Website: www.cortijodejara.es

Manzanilla Pasada La Gitana Edición 225 Aniversario 15%, Hidalgo La Gitana

Appearance

Amber tinged gold with golden reflections.

Nose

Complex and attractive with lots of yeasty sourdough, brine and butter dominating rather than the more usual bitter almondy flor - though it is definitely there. This is a fresh yet serious wine with background notes of scrub and dried flowers, and a slightly humid saline feel. There are only very faint traces of oxidation and there is a delightful balance of all those classic Sanlúcar elements.

Palate

Full and very generous, a mineral, very saline backbone supports intense flavours of straw, brine, bitter almond, butter and flor. A little more oxidation on the palate and hints of cabezuela. Acidity is low but there is so much flavour you wouldn't notice. This is absolutely delicious, classic Pasada.

Comments

Having been established by José Pantaleón Hidalgo in 1792, the firm naturally wanted to celebrate eight generations and 225 years in the Manzanilla business, so what better than a limited release of special Manzanilla. And it is special - very special. It is classic old style wine with an average age of around 15 years and very pasada. The most outstanding wines from the finest old toneles gordos - or 1,000 litre butts - in the Bodega san Luis were selected and a blend was created sufficient to fill 1,792 heavy old fashioned Jerezana bottles which bear the old version of the iconic label, and are sealed with a driven cork and wax. You'll need to be quick to get a bottle of this masterpiece.
Price
27.50 euros, Licores Corredera

Overo Crianza 2015 14%, González Palacios

Appearance

Dense blacky red with a fairly tight deep ruby rim.

Nose

Full and obviously made from super ripe grapes, it has lots of spice notes both from those extra ripe grapes, especially Syrah with its slight hint of smoke, and from the oak. Behind all that spice there is a tight blackcurrant bramble fruit and there is an overall element of polish.

Palate

Full bodied and super ripe with a firm structure both in terms of alcohol and of tannin. There is also a decent acidity which imparts some much needed freshness to balance the heat that emanates from the wine. There is something wild and untamed about it yet it has some charm, and that will develop with a couple more years in bottle.

Comments

This wine comes from the leading bodega in Lebrija and is made from70% Tempranillo and 30% Syrah grown on albariza soils. Overo is the name of the place they are located and is a gentle hill looking over the Guadalquivir marshes and open to the Poniente winds. It is aged for 12 months in a combination of French and American oak and is one of a handful of wines which belong to the Denominacion de Origen Lebrija, the town which legend has it was founded by Bacchus.

Price
8.95 euros, De Albariza

Oloroso VORS Solera de su Majestad 21%, Valdespino

Appearance

Very deep walnut tinged mahogany, bright copper glints fading through amber to a hint of green at the rim. It even looks old but is very bright.

Nose

Forthcoming and profound aromas of walnuts and toasted almonds with balsamic hints and traces of roasted coffee, chestnut and fragrant almost spicy exotic wood notes from the oak. All of these are beautifully harmonised giving an intense bouquet which age alone can achieve. It is full but elegant at the same time, and one could sniff away at it all night.

Palate

Full bodied and intense on entry, then it slowly opens out to reveal its considerable splendour. The spice, nuts volatile acidity and surprisingly gentle tannins are all superbly balanced by a gentle caramel tinged glycerine and there are slight traces of dried fruits, even smoke. It is rich yet dry with almost interminable length and is quite outstanding.

Comments

This is Valdespino's oldest Oloroso, and is over 50 years old. It comes from a solera of only eight butts established towards the end of the XIX century. The grapes came from the pago Carrascal. It is not cheap, but when one considers how beautifully it has developed over so many years - a period that would kill most wines - and how much work and skill have gone into its production - and the sheer quality, it is very good value for money indeed.

Price

85 euros per half bottle, Er Guerrita