Manzanilla Atalaya 15%, Bodegas Barón

Appearance

Very pale bright silvery golden straw, legs.

Nose

Attractive nose: deeply yeasty, with light flor and some savoury notes from the cabezuela (bottom of the butt where dead yeast cells accumulate and autolise), very saline too, with minerally seaside notes and a slight seaweed note, a classic Manzanilla nose.

Palate

Gently tangy yet smooth and remarkably complex for its years, lots of damp seaside yeastiness, brine and dough all nicely balanced and with terrific length.

Comments

This remarkably good wine is one of the lower-end  Manzanillas from Barón, a Manzanilla Fina, and is aged for an average of 4 years. Nonetheless, it is full of flavour and a better Fina than many. Atalaya means watchtower and is the name of one of the albariza vineyards owned by the company in which there is an old watchtower, part of the casa de viña.

Price

About 7 euros from La Vinotería, Jerez

Oloroso Micaela 17.5%, Bodegas Barón

Appearance

Very dark for its years, deep burnt umber fading to deep amber rim, legs.

Nose

Slight fruity note - is that a trace of PX? Quite deep and walnutty with hints of oak and a very slightly salty savoury hint, rich and quite full with an interesting interplay between fruity and savoury, and the slightest suggestion of well roast beef in a reduced plum sauce.

Palate

Dry and quite full yet still with that slightly fruity note, traces of tannin from the wood but well rounded, with hints of burnt sugar, coffee and a clean tasty, very slightly tangy finish.

Comments

This 5 year old Oloroso is the youngest they make but is a bit of a character. I enjoyed it with milk chocolate with crushed almonds, but it would be good with all sorts of roasts, stews or cheese.

Price

€4.79 ex bodega. Not sure of UK price but importers are Morgenrot

Manzanilla Pasada Soluqua 15%, Bodegas Barón

Appearance
Very pale for its age, strawy gold with light legs.
Nose
Lots of flor and seriously salty olive brine, yeasty and marine with the slightest suspicion of membrillo in there somewhere, bitter almonds and dried flowers, but overall zesty flor bitterness. Not much autolysis so pretty fresh and quite tight, but certainly appealing and quite complex.
Palate
Salty and seasidey on entry with a decent tang which matches the dank flor bitterness. Quite intense initially but really quite light. It could only be Manzanilla for its saltiness and dank flor, but it seems to be hiding its light under a bushel called "elegance". It does give more as it warms up though and has  terrific length. It is a lovely wine.
Comments
This is the firm's top Manzanilla which is around 10 years old. It is not cheap though, so the value for money question pops up. While it is excellent wine, typical Manzanilla, it is hard to credit its age, but then it has been at least lightly filtered, which is a shame as it will have lost some of those desirable characteristics of a Manzanilla Pasada.
Price

€27 ex bodega. for UK price Morgenrot are the importers.

Manzanilla Pasada en Rama Xixarito 15%, Bodegas Barón

Appearance
Paleish flaxen gold with bright highlights, light legs.
Nose
Gentle bitterness, traces of wax and straw, almond and camomile, clean and polished with no rough edges and a nice balance between the floral and the bitter and only the slightest oak and autolytic notes.
Palate
Starts smooth before the bitter flor kicks in, still quite floral and round with fairly low acid, in fact it seems easy on the surface but has a definite serious side as well with the tangy bitterness of the flor. It doesn't display the full intensity of some Manzanillas Pasadas, but is super clean and smooth, and would be a brilliant wine to use to convert someone to Manzanilla.
Comments
This very old bodega in Sanlúcar (est. 1631) produces some excellent wines. The name Xixarito (pronounced "chicharito") is the nickname of José Rodriguez Jiménez who brought the bodega up to date. His sons José and Juan now run it and last year took a brave risk by introducing old wines never before marketed as well as a startlingly fresh and attractive presentation which was not a cheap investment. They really deserve for it to pay off. The Xixarito label represents all aspects of Sanlúcar life and more, and covers an up-market range of wines up to 15 years old. This wine is about 8 years old.

Price

€9 ex bodega Not sure about UK prices but their importer is Morgenrot

Oloroso Soluqua VORS 19.5%, Bodegas Baron

Appearance
Deep amber with golden highlights, legs.
Nose
Light and fresh, with slight Sanlucar notes of seaside among the aromas of walnut in syrup, toast, and almonds. There are hints of oak too and the slightest savoury note, which lend weight to the wine's age, reserved at first, light and easy, but it grows more complex in the glass without losing freshness.
Palate
Full to intense, lots of walnuts, some wood, quite tangy and gently grippy, but with enough glycerol to balance, very refined and reasonably complex with hints of toasted nuts: almond and especially savoury walnut notes, traces of fig , damp barrels and a trace of raisin.
Comments
A very good wine with classic Sanlucar character. This top quality range from Baron includes a VORS PX, Manzanilla Pasada (12 years old), a Fino of 9-10 years, a VORS Amontillado, a VOS Medium, a VOS Cream and an 8 year old Moscatel.
Price
Not available in the UK

Bodegas: Baron

Manuel Baron Fernandez began his career in the wine trade with the acquisition of some old soleras from the Sanlucar almacenista Anselmo Paz in 1895. His wife, Dolores Romero Sanchez, however, came from an old Sherry family, Romero de la Balsa, who had been in the business since the mid XVII century. They were already in the business in 1630 when the Duque de Medina Sidonia led a revolt against Phillip IV, and remained in the business right up to Dolores' father, Rafael Romero. Thus, the newly started bodega could count on centuries of knowledge and experience.

In 1984 the bodega was acquired by businessman Jose Rodriguez Jimenez, and is now run by his two heirs, Juan Luis Rodriguez Carrasco and Jose Rodriguez Carrasco. The bodega is only part of the business which is mainly agriculture and farming. They own three albariza vineyards totalling about 140 ha. in the pagos surrounding Sanlucar; Finca Atalaya, Finca Martin Miguel, the prized Finca El Poedo of 47 ha. on slope looking toward the Guadalquivir estuary, and the 5.7 ha viña El Hato, all farmed organically.

The bodega Molinillos is sited at the lower end of the Barrio Alto facing the river to attract the sea breezes. You can't miss it driving into town. Its central naves date back to 1631, while the rest of the buildings are from 1871. Here the 150 year old plus soleras of Anselmo paz are still guarded, and are still used. There were once coopers here, and wheelwrights for the carts, but they have gone leaving more space for wine. Baron has another bodega complex in Sanlucar, which brings their total to 20,000 square metres and 10,000 butts.

The firm makes a full range of wines, specialising in Manzanilla naturally:

Fino Baron 3 yo

Manzanillas: Atalaya 3 yo; Baron 3 yo; Micaela 5 yo; Manzanilla Pasada Baron (8yo, 15 criaderas)

Amontillados: Atalaya 10 yo; Amontillado Viejo Baron 30 yo

Olorosos: Pino Viejo 3yo; Oloroso Baron 8 yo;

Moscatel: Baron 3yo; 6yo

Cream: Atalaya 3-4 yo

PX: Baron 6yo; Baron 8 yo

In 2014, there are changes to the range: Soluqua, a range of wines never before released, having been reserved for family consumption, and the bodega's top wines, mostly VORS. Xixarito is the new standard premium range to replace the Baron range. Also new labelling has been introduced for all the wines. How's this for design?

(foto:twitter.com)

Address: Calle Molinillo Segunda, 2 and 3, 11540 Sanlucar de Barrameda, Cadiz
Tel: (+34) 956 360 796
Web: www.bodegasbaron.es
Visits? By prior arrangement

Manzanilla La Barca de Triana 15%, Bodegas Baron

Appearance
Golden straw, very light legs.
Nose
Very Manzanilla, fresh with a salty briny tang, maritime (harbour) and bitter, traces dried flowers, hints camomile and sour dough, dry and punzante (punchy).
Palate
Quite full, dry and bitter, only a trace of fruit - more almondy with a distinct savoury note, partly autolysis. Some olive brine, traces oxidised apple and those dried flowers, tangy, good and dry - inspires the appetite.
Comments
A jolly good wine with some character. It does not appear on the list of Bodegas Baron, but on that of Bodegas Cruz Conde in Montilla. One can only assume that with the popularity of Manzanilla, Cruz Conde organised their own exclusive label. As to the boat itself, I can only surmise that it is a river boat which took Triana pottery to Sanlucar, perhaps for export, and took Sanlucar prawns up the Guadalquivir to Triana and Sevilla.
Price
6.50 euros in Spain. I doubt this is exported.