Fino en rama Peña del Águila Saca 2018 15%, Bodegas César Florido

Appearance
Pale to mid brassy gold with golden highlights.
Nose
Full, forthcoming, almost pungent maritime aromas; ozone, beach and even a trace of iodine. Along with a briny, yeasty, bitter flor there are background herbal notes of scrub, esparto and a trace of camomile. It is as elegant as it is complex and harmonious, and speaks of its origin.

Palate

Full of flavour, subtle and beautifully balanced. There are hints of sourdough, crusty bread, oak, almond and olive brine as well as a yeasty character as much from the bottom of the wine with its hint of buttery autolysis as from the surface with its more bitter tang. This is delicious.
Comments

This is  excellent Fino, and it comes from the production zone, Chipiona to be exact, which is right on the Atlantic coast and is best known for Moscatel. César Florido, a family business, is the oldest bodega in the area, and by far the most interesting. Most are happy with basic wines and Moscatel, but  César has some very classy wines, and the two most oustanding (non Moscatel) are his rare Peña del Águila Fino and Palo Cortado, which are the equal of anything in Jerez. The Fino is made from grapes from the pago Miraflores and is aged through 5 criaderas and a solera, and in Chipiona the flor lasts all year round. When it is time to make the annual saca each spring, César tastes every butt in the solera which is located in the Cherra bodega, some 25 metres from the sea, before choosing just one for bottling, in this case butt no.1 which yielded 1,200 half bottles. This (annual) saca was bottled en rama in April 2018 and is somewhere between Fino and Manzanilla in style but as the bodega is outside the DO area, while it can be called Fino, it can't be called Sherry. It seems really unfair.

Price
11 euros per half bottle, Licores Corredera

Cream Cruz del Mar 17.5%, Bodegas César Florido

Appearance

Fairly deep mahogany chestnut with coppery tints, legs.

Nose

Full and fairly sweet with pronounced Moscatel aromas which give it a slightly lighter, fruitier touch yet there is also an attractive nuttiness from the Oloroso and a trace of vanilla from the barrel. There are hints of marzipan or turrón de yema tostada and dried fruits there too, giving an air of sophistication.

Palate

Rich, quite sweet, smooth and fruity, low on acidity and tannins, it is soft and well rounded yet has an attractive tang at the finish with traces of toffee and Indian tea. Sofly textured and gentle, this is ideal for sipping with a dessert or a good book.

Comments

Unlike most Creams which are blends of Oloroso and PX, and being from Chipiona the home of Moscatel, this is a blend of approximately 75% Oloroso and 25% Moscatel. It is aged as a blend from the start giving a homogeneous style and consistent character. The butts are positioned under cover at the edge of the "patio bodeguero" the patio at the heart of the bodega, where they get a little more heat than the other wines. This gives them a ripe mature style in the five years they are aged.

Price 
Around 7 euros

Oloroso Cruz del Mar 18%, Bodegas César Florido

Appearance

Mahogany to amber with copper highlights, legs.

Nose

Open textured and fresh with hints of vanilla, cinnamon, and nutty sweetness along with a trace of English marmalade and slightly textured glyceric sweetness tinged with caramel. There is a hint of quince fruit and a slight turrón de nueces (ground walnut confection) note.

Palate

Medium to full bodied, smooth, nicely nutty: walnuts in syrup and a slight toasted note with a certain glyceric sweetness. Easy going and well rounded with a certain charm and a clean long finish, a very decent wine with some character.

Comments

Aged in  40 arroba butts of chestnut as well as American oak. Most butts are 30 arrobas (with a capacity of 600 litres) but here they use bigger butts which are about 150 litres bigger. The wine is about 5 years old and while fairly young there is no tannic bitterness from the wood, and thus charm.

Price

About 7 euros

(This is the US label - it is 18% in Spain)

Fino Cruz del Mar 15%, Bodegas César Florido

Appearance

Bright strawy gold with silvery-gold highlights, legs.

Nose

Fresh and zippy with hints of of dried flowers, chamomile perhaps, and plenty of flor, hints of salinity and minerality. Very maritime with traces of brine and bread dough. There is a certain depth and complexity for a wine of only three years of average age, and a noticeable resemblance to good Manzanilla which comes from nearby.

Palate

Clean and fresh with a crisp lively acidity and bitterness from the flor, this is delicious and perfect for local seafood. It has considerable length and charm.

Comments

Made from grapes grown on old vines in the firm's own albariza vineyards in the upper part of Pago Miraflores and Balbaina and aged for three years in a 62 butt solera only 50 metres from the Atlantic. This not only gives the wine some of its saline freshness, but also helps the flor grow all through the year. This is not DO Sherry but is every bit as good. On a small viewpoint at the beach, at the end of the street stands the Cruz del Mar, a stainless steel cross atop a lamppost, which looks out to sea over ancient fishing corrals consisting of long low curved walls made of oyster stone where the tide strands fish. Chipiona is a very interesting place. The firm also has a tiny 9 butt solera referred-to in the bodega as "Manzanilla" as the grapes came from Miraflores and it has certain such characteristics, but being from Chipiona (production but not ageing zone) it must be called "Fino". It is not bottled or commercially available but quite delicious.

Price

About 6 euros