Very deep, opaque black plummy red tight to the rim where there is still some pink.
Nose
Syrah and Cabernet jump out with smokey mulberry and blackcurrant aromas. Still fairly tight but with lovely fresh fruit and a faint jammy note along with a hint of pencil from the French oak and a balsamic trace, this is full bodied, perfectly ripe and really quite intense and looks very promising for further ageing in bottle.
Palate
Big and generous with no shortage of character it has plenty of almost chewy texture, and while there is plenty of structure, the tannins are ripe and completely unaggressive. There is a slightly balsamic edge to the copious black fruit (from a hot place) and that hint of oak and a noticeable and refreshing minerality, but everything is very well balanced. This is a serious wine, very well made with considerable length, but unfortunately in short supply.
Comments
This wine comes from the small and pretty town of Setenil de las Bodegas, located at over 600 metres altitude in the Sierra de Cádiz, surely the highest vineyards in the province. The town sits on a river which has carved out a spectacular gorge leaving overhanging rock which has provided people with homes since very ancient times. Sadly the bodegas were wiped out by phylloxera and only the town´s name gives any idea they ever existed. Here the Camacho family have a 1.3 hectare vineyard planted to Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot and winemaking is done by oenologist Santiago Jordi. This was the second vintage of Xaldenil, made with 45% Syrah, 35% Cabernet and 20% Merlot, and it was aged for 6 months in used French oak barrels. Naturally production is small, at just 2,400 bottles. This is one of two wines they produce, the other being called 7 Mil Pasos. The family also have a shop, La Cueva del Iberico, selling ham, oils, cheeses etc. and of course wine.
Price
13.50 Licores Corredera
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