Pedro Ximénex 2017 12.5%, Bodegas Faustino González

Appearance

Bright strawy gold with golden reflections.
Nose

Quite a striking nose; full and characterful with vibrant fruit such as quince, yellow plum, ripe apricot and white peach backed up by a hint of blond tobacco. There are only gentle hints of the yeasty flor bitterness or of lees, but they do add something to the wine's complexity along with a  clean natural impression of a wine made without need of all the artifice available to a modern bodega.

Palate

There is a certain intensity which is highlighted by a refreshing and balancing acidity which carries the clean, ripe fruity flavour across. The wine has some weight and presence and there are noticeable hints of flor and a chalky texture which dry out the sweetness of the fruit. There is a lot going on here and it is quite unlike the PX one usually sees which shows just what a versatile grape it is. This is a very good wine with character and length. 
Comments
The excellent family Bodega Faustino González decided to experiment with table wine, and since they grow not only Palomino but also PX in their El Carmen vineyard in the pago Montealegre, they decided to make two. This PX is interesting because very few in Jerez grow PX, and nobody as far as I know makes a dry table wine from it. The bodega works in a very artisan way and the grapes were hand harvested on 30th August and the must was fermented with natural yeast in just two butts, and there it remained ageing on its lees and under flor for 6 months before bottling on 16 May 2018. So one would expect a very interesting wine, and it certainly is. Palomino works best on the purest albariza, but PX is less fussy being perfectly happy on the browner albariza parda in a different part of the vineyard which has a little more iron and a slightly higher organic content. The wine is quite delicious; it has real character and is very much an individual. The only problem is availability as they only produced 1,200 bottles.
Price
9.20 Licores Corredera

Palomino 2017 12.5%, Bodegas Faustino González

Appearance
Mid strawy gold with bright golden highlights.
Nose

Forthcoming, fairly generous and pure Palomino with lots of ripe apple and faint traces of cider and apricot and grassy green herbs. It is quite fruity and naturally smells like mosto only it is more sophisticated. There are faint flor notes which barely intrude but add a certain complexity along with some distinct Fino characteristics which give the wine real appeal.. 

Palate

Quite full and very tasty. It has a good level of acidity which keeps it fresh, and balances the gentle chalky, appleskin texture and the ripeness. It is a style that could only come from the south and that appley flavour and faintly bitter edge would take one straight to Jerez. The flor is more noticeable on the palate which, added to the nicely judged acidity, makes it reasonable lively. It is an open, honest well-made wine with good length which speaks of its place and which I really enjoyed.

Comments

The Faustino González family have their own 7 hectare vineyard, Viña El Carmen, in the Pago Montealegre in Jerez. Here they grow Palomino and also a little PX and have just released their first table wines made from these grapes, but in very small quantities: 600 bottles of this Palomino and 1,200 bottles of the (dry) PX ie one and two butts respectively. The Palomino is grown on albariza of the tosca variety and was hand harvested on the 28th August. The must was fermented in butt with natural yeast and left in the butt for 6 months on its lees and under flor. The bottle is sealed with a Diam cork.

Price
9.20, Licores Corredera

Pedro Ximénez en Rama Cruz Vieja 15%, Faustino González

Appearance
Viscous, very deep blacky brown fading to amber at the rim.
Nose
There are lots of raisins and the usual dried fruits and then there is a spicier, very slightly savoury and interesting note of straw or esparto, cardamom, almost curry, which might possibly come from the mats the grapes were dried on. Then it reverts back to all that dried fruit with perhaps a trace of molasses.
Palate
Not quite as unctuous as some, which is a bit of a relief, and there is a healthy balancing acidity giving it good freshness and balance. It has an attractive tang  which is perfect for the sweetness of the fruit and there is absolutely no cloying, so it is rather too easy to drink, and has very good length.
Comments

The bodega launched this delicious wine in time for Christmas 2017. It must be one of very few single vineyard PX wines around and it comes from the family's own vineyard in the Pago Montealegre. The grapes were dried in the sun for 10 days before careful pressing, partial fermentation and fortification, followed by ageing and bottling without filtration. This is their first PX, made in very small quantities, and the result is splendid.

Price
18,90 per half bottle, La Tienda del Jerez