Cortijo de Jara 12 Meses 2013 15%, Cortijo de Jara

Appearance

Almost opaque blacky plummy red to youngish ruby rim.

Nose

Attractive aromas of ripe plums and cherries nicely balanced by restrained American oak. There is a slight balsamic note and a hint of spice, partly from the oak and a certain ripe jammy character from the ripeness and a little maturity, but it is fresh and characterful

Palate

The spice and oak are more evident now but not excessive giving plenty of upfront appeal followed by fresh fleshy ripe black fruits, vanilla, even a hint of toast. There is a refreshing and perfectly proportioned hint of acidity to balance the ripe fruit and fairly gentle tannin. After three and a half years or so in bottle it is pretty close to its ideal drinking moment.

Comments

Made from hand picked Tempranillo (roughly 50%, Merlot and Syrah (roughly 25% each) from a 15 hectare vineyard and aged for 12 months in American oak barrels in a picturesque old bodega which was the original house of the cortijo which is located a few miles northeast of Jerez. This is a go-ahead business run by the Garcia Angulo family which also produces white wine, olive oil and chickpeas among other things and has a car concessionaire business. This is the second release of the wine and it can only improve further as the 5 hectares of recently planted vines begin to age.
Price
8.50 euros ex bodega

CJ Tinto Roble 2015 14%, Cortijo de Jara

Appearance

Very deep black cherry red with the faintest hint of brick in a red/pink rim.

Nose

Well ripened black fruits, bramble and cherry with some ripe red plum, with slightly toasty smoky notes and hints of balsam and vanilla. It smells very ripe, from a hot place, with a hint of jam yet there is a note of freshness.

Palate

Full bodied yet the tannins are moderate and there's plenty of fruit and that smoke note. There is a decent acidity and it balances well though a few more months in bottle would round it off. A very decent wine, especially for the price.

Comments

Made from mostly Tempranillo with some Merlot and Syrah, this attractive wine belongs to the DO Vinos de la Tierra de Cádiz. The estate grows many olive trees - and even chickpeas -  as well as vines and all are grown virtually organically. The grapes are fermented separately in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks and the wine is racked off for "coupage" or blending and aged in barrels for 6 months before bottling at the cortijo. The term "roble" which translates as "oak" is used for wines between the "Joven" or the young, unoaked style and "Crianza" which has a minimum period of 1 year in oak.

Price
5.00 euros, Licores Corredera

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