Pale to mid strawy gold with golden highlights, very slightly paler than Levante.
Nose
Very fresh with more grassy herbal aromas rather than the more esparto like nose of Levante, and it smells lighter and a little zippier, younger even, and more yeasty. It is also less saline on the nose though there is still a maritime note.
Palate
As the nose suggests, it is also lighter on the palate, less intense and appears less mature. It is super clean and fresh with a little more zip than the slightly more plodding (by comparison) Levante and has no pasada character, and a bit less salt, rather retaining its charming herbal style. Delicious.
Comments
There really are noticeable differences between these two lovely wines, yet they are both classic examples of good Manzanilla. This is the second annual release of the Manzanillas Poniente and Levante, which come from the same Solear solera, but from opposite sides of the bodega, enough to make them slightly different. All wines have their terroir, but in the Marco de Jerez there are three: the vineyard, the bodega and even the butt itself. The Poniente (west) side of the bodega is slightly cooler and it shows in the wine, which is a fraction less intense, but perhaps a fraction more elegant. Both wines were made in an identical manner, and drawn from selected butts for maximum character and bottled en rama in February 2018. They are terrific on their own, but it is fascinating to compare them side by side and observe the effect of between 5 and 6 years at either side of the same bodega can have.
Price
12.50 euros, Licores Corredera
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