Harveys Amontillado 19%, Bodegas Fundador

Appearance

Chestnut tinged deep amber with old gold highlights fading to amber.

Nose

Lightish, crisp, nutty and fairly tight with toasted almond, hazelnut and a note of dried autumn leaves. There is a very gentle background sweetness balanced by traces of oak and walnut, and the faintest hint of bitter flor from the biological ageing giving the wine an interesting edge and notable charm.

Palate

Fresh, crisp, light and elegant thanks to those attractive hints of biological ageing, yet it is definitely an Amontillado with traces of caramel, lots of nuts, a suspicion of dried fruit and that impression of a hint of sweetness which gives Amontillado its charm. It is clean, dry and long with considerable character.

Comments

This very fine wine is made from 100% Macharnudo grapes from the firm´s own vineyards and aged in a solera dating from 1928.  It is probably between about 12 and 15 years old and is at that lovely stage between mature Fino and young Amontillado - though closer to the latter. While it is a very good wine and the bottle is quite smart, it is not over-practical as its slim shape means it is easily knocked over, but I am sure you take good care of your Sherry!

Price
18 euros per 50 cl, De Albariza

Harveys Oloroso 19.5%, Bodegas Fundador

Appearance

Fairly deep bright mahogany with old gold and copper glints fading to amber.

Nose

Full, fairly tight and quite serious with the classic Oloroso aromas of walnut, toasted nuts, and traces of oak which give it a slightly dry smell, then some fainter aromas come through like old furniture, English marmalade, cinnamon, and a very faint note of cumin. Attractive and interesting,

Palate

Open textured, clean and well rounded or padded with glycerine yet dry and reasonably light, verging on crisp, but by no means lacking in nutty flavour. It has a nice tang which carries through the tight oxidative character and there is just enough tannin to provide grip. The finish could be longer though.

Comments

This very good Oloroso is made from 100% Macharnudo grapes from Fundador´s own vineyards and was aged in a solera established in 1918. The 200 hectares of vineyards, which previously belonged to Pedro Domecq, surround the Castillo de Macharnudo and are protected from bugs by a sexual confusion system. 

Price

17 euros per 50 cl, Licores Corredera

Harveys Palo Cortado 19%, Bodegas Fundador

Appearance

Bright mahogany with copper highlights fading through amber to a trace of green at the rim.

Nose

Elegant and refined with a bit of age to it, there are lots of toasted hazelnuts, almonds and a hint of praline and perhaps a trace of walnut with a trace of sweetness behind rounding off the toasted notes and aromas of old oak and antique furniture, yet there is a little weight in the background too.

Palate

Very slightly fuller than expected with the flavour of oak rather than the tannin from it, though there is a trace. There is still a faint sweetness but it dissipates in the very long finish and the wine does appear to be quite old, perhaps 15-20 years. It is much more Oloroso on the palate with a roundness and generosity, traces of walnut in syrup, but clean and elegant on the finish with a bit of charm.

Comments

This very fine Palo Cortado which forms part of the Harveys Premium range is made from grapes grown in the Castillo area of the firm´s 200 hectares of vineyards in the pago Macharnudo and aged in a solera established in 1906. The range was only launched a couple of years ago but already this Palo Cortado has won a few worthwhile gold medals. 

Price

17 euros per 50 cl, Licores Corredera

Harveys Fino 15% Bodegas Fundador

Appearance

Pale to medium strawy gold with bright golden highlights.

Nose

Fresh and fairly crisp with a notable aroma of flor, bread dough and bitter almonds with just a hint of damp barrels, apple fruit and garden herbs in the background. It appears to have much youthful vitality yet has a little more complexity behind making it interesting and attractive.

Palate

It begins with a certain crispness and then opens out a bit offering at least a little of the weight one expects from the Macharnudo. There are lots of attractive yeasty flor notes giving gentle bitterness while acidity is moderate and it has the dry chalky texture of albariza. Perhaps 4 to 5 years old it is clean and refreshing and reasonably long.

Comments

This Fino comes from grapes grown in the firm´s own vineyards in the pago Macharnudo and from a solera established in 1953. Unfortunately the Harveys range has been messed about with somewhat over recent years, mostly as a result of corporate takeovers, and so promotion of the products - which were once world famous - seems to have fallen by the wayside. Emperador who own Fundador seem more interested in Brandy than Sherry. Anyway, the range this wine belongs to consists of Fino, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso and PX, yet for some reason (presumably?) only the Fino can be found on the website (with a different label) along with the VORS and Bristol Cream.

Price

7.50 euros per 50cl

Harveys Signature Cream 12 Years Old 19%, Bodegas Fundador

Appearance

Very deep amber to brown with coppery gold highlights.

Nose

Sweetened Oloroso really, but quite stylish. An attractive Oloroso character shines through with hints of toasted nuts, faint orange peel, cinder toffee and caramel while the fruity PX notes more restrained. All seems to be in perfect harmony, and I find myself preferring this to HBC (as Bristol Cream used to be known).

Palate

Not quite as sweet as expected but quite full bodied and you can taste the Oloroso which is not tangled up with other things. Yes, it is sweet, but not excessively so and the PX rounds off the wine nicely giving a smooth and elegant style with good length. This is a very decent Cream Sherry.

Comments

Made from a blend of Oloroso (80%) and PX (20%), this is a much simpler blend than its illustrious cousin Bristol Cream, the first ever Cream Sherry, but frankly none the worse for it. It is also older. Sugar content is 120 g/l, and the overall result is quite a serious wine.

Price

15 euros approx per 50cl bottle not often seen here, it all goes to Britain...

21.8.17 Harvest is in Full Swing

Santi García and photographer Miguel Ángel González of Diario de Jerez shadow Manuel Valcárcel, oenologist at Fundador, as the grapes arrive at the lagares.

The lagares (press-houses) are working flat out as thousands of kilos of grapes arrive constantly from the vineyards. Fundador is processing six tons a day. Things have changed, and not only with respect to mechanical harvesting, but also in the lagares where spotlessly clean equipment can process the harvest more efficiently than ever before. Another advance is the speed of transportation as it is very important that the grapes wait the absolute minimum time for processing to avoid loss of juice and oxidation.

Before leaving the vineyard the grapes are classified into grade A or B and only grade A will be used for wine production. When they arrive at the lagar they are discharged into one of three stainless steel hoppers with Archimedean screws which transport them to the appropriate destemming and pressing plant. One hopper is reserved exclusively for grapes arriving from the firm’s vineyards in the Pago Macharnudo, while the other two receive grapes from their Pago Santa Barbara vineyards and those from contracted suppliers. Fundador has eight horizontal rotating plate presses, four of them exclusively for Macharnudo grapes.

Pressing takes about two hours and is divided into three parts. The first pressing (or yema) releases 60-65% of the juice and is the finest quality, destined to be Fino and perhaps fine Oloroso, the second pressing (segunda yema) releases a further 20-25% of the juice and will produce fuller bodied blending wine, while the third pressing is destined for the distillery and will never be used to make Sherry. Now the juice (mosto) is pumped to the temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation tanks. The must ferments quite violently for the first four or five days, giving off lots of carbon dioxide and growing in alcoholic strength. As the fermentation slows, the mosto is racked into other tanks to finish the fermentation. This stage needs careful attention to temperature and sugar levels and once complete, the new wine can go to the sobretablas stage to begin ageing.

Manuel Valcárcel says that the grapes this year are very healthy with good sugar levels which average about 12° Beaumé, and some were as high as 13°. Fundador was the first Spanish bodega to win the IWC Best Wine in the World for Harveys very fine old Amontillado VORS, and the grapes came from the Macharnudo. Manuel says that this pago gives something special, something other pagos do not, the grapes give incredible structure. It is for this reason that Fundador makes such an effort to keep these grapes separate, and can assure the customer of the quality, flavour and essence of the Macharnudo.

Brandy Terry1900 Solera Reserva 36%, Fundador

Appearance

Mahogany fading to amber, legs.

Nose

Attractive slightly biscuity Oloroso nose with traces of oak. It is elegant and clean, not too sweet, and has traces of orange peel, dried fruits, vanilla and toasted nuts and has a freshness about it being not too heavily sherried.

Palate

Slightly fuller flavoured than the nose would suggest but nicely balanced between the alcohol, oak and Oloroso and a gentle fruity sweetness. It has a certain charm and good length with the holandas nicely outweighing the aguardientes.

Comments

This brandy was originally produced by Fernando A de Terry in El puerto de Santa Maria. Terry is not much more than a brand nowadays, after various adventures with Rumasa, Harveys, Pernod Ricard and Beam Suntory over the last 35 years or so, but now belongs to Grupo Fundador. This brandy comes from a 1900 solera and has 3 years average age. The famous "malla Terry" or string net which adorns the bottle was always made by hand by the women of El Puerto.

Price

10.15 from the Corte Inglés

31.3.17 González Byass and Fundador Close Domecq Deal

Control of the names Domecq and Pedro Domecq has returned to Jerez, where they began. González Byass and Fundador announced yesterday the completion of the 81 million euro deal with Pernod Ricard for the purchase of all Domecq brands and installations by Bodegas Las Copas, a 50/50 joint venture. The deal had been agreed back in November, but needed the green light from the Mexican competition authorities which has now been given.

The deal comprises the Mexican brandy distillery and the Casa Pedro Domecq wine bodega in Baja California as well as business interests in the United States, Brazil and Benelux. Just the three brandies produced in Mexico, Presidente, Don Pedro and Azteca de Oro, account for 50% (1.2 million cases) of the Mexican brandy market.

Back in 1994 Allied Lyons bought the Domecq business for a whopping 600 million euros, renaming itself Allied Domecq, but before long the vultures were circling in the form of Pernod Ricard and Fortune Brands who jointly bought the business and shared out its parts. PR got the brand name and the business in Mexico while Fortune (in the name of its subsidiary Beam) got the Sherry, brandy, bodegas and vineyards in Jerez. By the time Beam was taken over by Suntory it had divested itself of some of its principal assets: the La Ina range (to Lustau), the VOS and VORS Sherries and the Carlos brandies (to Osborne) as well as the Palacio Domecq and the Gallo Azul.

22.3.17 Fundador Goes Organic

All 200 hectares of Bodegas Fundador’s El Majuelo vineyard will be controlled by “sexual confusion” in an attempt to control Lobesia Botrana or vine moth, starting now. This moth is one of the major vineyard pests especially in southern Europe, and was first detected in Jerez in the early 1960s. Lobesia is capable of four generation in a year, but usually three in Andalucía. Eggs are laid in spring among the fine flower leaves of the vine, and the larvae damage the nascent grapes, then as the surviving grapes ripen, caterpillars feed on them, which is bad enough but these lesions leave the grapes open to the fungus Botrytis Cinerea which rots them, rendering the bunch useless.

Lobesia Botrana moth (foto:vitivinicultura.net)

The sexual confusion technique works by using nature. At breeding time, the female moths emit pheromones to attract males, so the vine growers put little female pheromone diffusers all over the vineyard (350-500 per hectare) saturating the air and confusing the males. Some vineyards even have traps which consist of little glue lined boxes charged with pheromones. This process only attacks the Lobesia and dramatically reduces fertilisation without the use of insecticides, which attack all insects good and bad, and is permitted in organic vineyards. It has been in use in Jerez since 1993 but not particularly widely due to the cost.

Lobesia caterpillar (foto:vitivinicultura.net)

Since 2004 Fundador has held the ISO 14001 environmental certification which insists on constant environmental control and improvement, and the company has already ceased the burning of vine prunings, reduced herbicide use and introduced sexual confusion techniques to reduce environmental impact and manage the vineyards organically.

Pheromone dispenser (foto:rawwine.com)

Brandy Fundador Solera 36%, Pedro Domecq

Appearance

Light mahogany to amber with golden highlights.

Nose

Nice balance between holandas and spirit, given that there can't be much holandas, with notes of oak, nuts, and hints of Oloroso, really quite attractive for basic Jerez Brandy.

Palate

Good start with well rounded traces of dried fruits and nuts then Oloroso and hints of oak come through, a trace of caramel sweetness balances it all and it has a good long finish.

Comments

This was really the brandy which started it all. For a long time Sherry bodegas had distilled wine for making fortifying spirit and/or ageing it into brandy. Production was quite small and most brandy was used for the personal consumption of the bodegueros, but occasionally it was sold. Pedro Domecq received a large order from a Dutch client for 500 bocoyes (large butts) of excellent brandy. This was duly distilled but after two years of ageing the client was unable to pay so Don Pedro ordered the spirit to be racked into used Sherry butts where it was slowly forgotten. 

Five years later the liquid was found to  be really special and he decided to produce brandy on a large scale. He imported extra stills and all necessary equipment and steadily built up a solera based on the original spirit and in 1874 launched Fundador, Spain's first commercially produced brandy, to great acclaim. One of the original butts is still kept in the bodega El Molino, signed by King Alfonso XIII in 1904. Domecq went on to produce more brandies: Carlos I, Carlos III and Marqués de Domecq. Eventually, after many corporate comings and goings, Carlos I and III were sold to Osborne and Grupo Emperador bought what was left of Domecq renaming it Bodegas Fundador. Currently they market various versions of Fundador: this standard Fundador Solera , Fundador Gold Reserve Solera Reserva, Fundador Exclusivo Solera Gran Reserva, Fundador Light and Fundador Ultra Smooth. They also produce the Terry brandies.

Price

About 8.50 euros, widely available.

12.3.17 Bodegas Fundador, the First Year

A year has now passed since the “Emperor of Brandy”, Filipino Andrew Tan who owns the brandy empire Emperador, bought the remains of Domecq including its flagship brand Fundador. This was the first commercial Spanish brandy and it has saved the company twice. Launched in 1874, this new product provided profitability at a difficult time for Sherry, and it was the key reason for Emperador’s purchase - indeed rescue - of the ailing firm which had been languishing for twenty years in the hands of the multinationals Allied, Beam and Suntory.

Andrew Tan among his brandy soleras

A great deal has happened in the year since Andrew Tan announced the start of a new era and gave many positive signs of putting the bodega, which also produces Harveys and Terry Sherries, back to its rightful position at the top and giving one of its prestige bodegas back to Jerez. According to Rafael Rendón, the firm’s managing director, signs of change appeared in the first few days with the opening of the gates at the Puerta de Rota to the public. Fundador has signed up to the brandy research and development project Bestbrandy. The brands have been repositioned in the marketplace and brand names have been bought back from Pernod Ricard. A new range of Harveys Sherry has been launched and the excellent Tapería de Fundador has opened in a refurbished bodega in Calle San Ildefonso. The firm has also begun restoration work to the Torre de Riquelme, an old watchtower on the city walls at the now lost Puerta de Rota. Another project is the refurbishment of the Castillo de Macharnudo in the finca El Majuelo for wine tourism. All this and he has also bought Bodegas Garvey and Zoilo Ruiz Mateos.

Castillo de Macharnudo

Meanwhile sales of Sherries, which have recently won prestigious awards, are growing, and so are sales of brandy for which solera capacity is being increased to meet predicted demand. There will be new product launches too, such as Tres Cepas Light which has just been launched in the Phillippines. Rafael Rendón believes that brandy’s time has come, but it lacks support from the trade because individual companies don’t have enough clout. “We need to develop a strategic plan, challenging and risky though it may be, and Fundador will support any generic action in support of brandy and Sherry, even if it implies some detriment to our interests”.

                                                                          

21.9.16 La Tapería Fundador; Fedejerez Responds to Unions

Bodegas Fundador has remodelled one of its bodegas as a gastronomic space, which opens today, with public access from Calle San Ildefonso. An inauguration event was held there yesterday, led by the bodega’s managing director Rafael Rendón and attended by Consejo director César Saldaña, president Beltrán Domecq and Brandy president Evaristo Babé. The tapería offers a wide range of tapas and menus matched to the firm’s Sherries and brandies; Harveys, Terry and Fundador, as well as an exciting range of cocktails. Fundador wants to promote the growing trend of accompanying food with brandy and prove that it is as versatile as Sherry, and they hope to attract the younger generation. This is only one of many innovations Fundador is working on in connection with wine tourism.

Fedejerez, the association of bodegas, has spoken out regarding the XXV Convenio de la Vid negotiations. They say they are quite open for discussion but that the unions have “distorted and manipulated” their proposals in the information given to the workforce and to the public. According to Fedejerez, far from suppressing length of service bonuses, they intend to consolidate them. They also dispute the union’s figures on part time workers, saying that over 80% of days worked were worked by people on fixed or stable contracts, and say that any part time work will be offered to those who have worked there at least 60 days in the past 2 years. Fedejerez denies wanting to reduce salaries for newly contracted staff but they will naturally be lower than those for experienced staff. No salary reduction will apply to part time staff. Work days and hours will be maintained and the bodegas will not impose working on weekends and holidays, furthermore they deny that they want to abolish leave for childbirth, deaths in the family, medical reasons etc. when in fact they have more generous proposals.

27.7.16 Fundador Improves Wine Tourism Offer; Promotional Aid for Sherry

Before its purchase by Andrew Tan, Fundador was owned by Beam Suntory who were slowly selling off assets like the Palacio Domecq (bought by an events company) and a sizeable chunk of Macharnudo vineyard (which went to Estévez). But things are changing. Buoyed up by the recent international successes of their Sherries and brandies, the firm is working on recuperating its former glory with new projects linked to wine tourism.

Bodega la Mezquita

The bodega, which was founded in 1730, is planning to commemorate its tercentenary, a landmark event which it wants to celebrate in advance with Jerezanos and visitors, for whom they will re-open the doors of the El Arroyo bodega complex and upgrade the offer in line with the times. There will be a tour through the history of some of the most emblematic bodegas of the area: El Molino, the first to be built, the enormous La Mezquita, built in 1974 to celebrate 100 years of Brandy Fundador, Los Claustros, which is kept for large celebrations, and more.

Another historic bodega, La Luz, where Fundador was born, has been converted into a museum with exhibits like photos of famous people, awards, old labels, old carriages and stable equipment for the Terry horses. Next to this, a recently constructed wine tourism centre with a shop will open during the Fiesta de la Vendimia. It is suitable for tastings of Sherry or the Bristol Cream cocktail with ice and a slice of orange, or the Fundador mojito, which the bodega offers to visitors.

Castillo de Macharnudo

Access for visitors is currently at the Puerta de Rota, but Fundador has begun works to facilitate access to a new oeno-gastronomic centre in the Calle San Ildefonso – a continuation of the Cuesta del Espíritu Santo – in the form of a tabanco or Sherry bar. They are also working on a similar development at the Castillo de Macharnudo which overlooks the El Majuelo vineyard. In fact, on Saturday there will be a gala here celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Ruta del Vino y del Brandy de Jerez, which will be an opportunity for the trade to see for themselves Fundador’s upgraded commitment to wine tourism.

While Brexit is viewed with both surprise and dismay in Jerez, all may not be lost. European Union funding for the promotion of agro-alimentary products from member states in third countries would be able to be used to at least partially compensate for the losses predicted in the UK market. At least once the UK has actually left, but there will be a couple of years of difficulty till then.

Consejo Director, César Saldaña, said “these funds would at least partly compensate for the negative effects of Brexit, especially when you take into account that the UK is the market in which we spend most, being the largest export market.” He pointed out that the value of Sterling has already fallen, making European products more expensive. To this could be added the expected impoverishment of the British people as taxes rise and levels of consumption fall. The first taxes to rise will inevitably be on alcohol and tobacco, but this will most seriously affect cheaper products, and Sherry is now selling at more up-market prices.

Harveys Fine Old Amontillado VORS 19%, Harveys

Appearance

Brigt amber with coppery highlights to a trace of green at the rim, legs.

Nose

Quite intense yet very refined and very pure Amontillado with lots of nuts, toasted notes from the oak as well as aromas of the wood itself. The nose really grows and the wine is old enough for all its complexities to have harmonised into a bouquet. Very fine.

Palate

Fuller-bodied than the colour would suggest, it is good and dry but there is enough glycerine to round it off. For its age the wine is not particularly tannic, but it is elegant. A serious wine, with delicious and complex oak and nut flavours and a hint of volatile acidity which linger on the palate for ages.

Comments

Winner of the 2016 International Wine Challenge Champion's Trophy and best wine in the show, this excellent wine comes from Macharnudo grapes and is aged in a 1904 solera nurtured by oenologist Manuel José Valcárcel. It is great to see Harveys better Sherries out there as their VORS are superb. It is not all Bristol Cream! Let's hope Fundador's new owners make the most of the Sherries.

Price

Around £ 30 per 50 cl bottle

Fino 15%, Bodegas Terry

Appearance

Bright pale golden straw, legs.

Nose

Rather attractive and very Jerezano with hints of mineral and fairly gentle flor with traces of fruit, straw and almond - and perhaps a trace of camomile. These characteristics need a little coaxing and a slightly warmer temperature but are there, and in good measure.

Palate

Decent intensity and very dry with good depth and very nice balance between the bitter almond and flor elements and that trace of fruit, there's even a gentle texture. At normal normal chill temperature it is a bit reserved, but just let it warm up a bit and all will be revealed. Good long clean finish.

Comments

A very respectable Fino if not quite in the same league as Camborio, which was once Terry's top Fino and now belongs to Juan Piñero. The grapes come from the old Domecq vineyard of El Majuelo next to the Castle in the Macharnudo and the solera was established in 1953. Terry really only exists on paper as it was bought by Rumasa, then Allied, then Pernod Ricard, then Beam and currently belongs to Fundador. As far as I know there are no longer bodegas in El Puerto where Terry was originally established. This wine has a rather simple label and an average price, but it is classier than that and it grows on you, just don't over chill it.

Price

5.00 euros from Licores Corredera

2.3.26 The “Emperor “of Brandy Takes Possession of Domecq

The old Domecq installations are facing the dawn of a new era. Andrew Tan arrived in Jerez yesterday with the contract and took possession of his new purchase from Beam Suntory. Grupo Emperador is the world’s biggest brandy producer with sales of some 33 million cases. It has bought the old Domecq bodegas, the Viña el Majuelo with its tower in the Pago Macharnudo, the brands Fundador, Tres Cepas, Harveys and Terry as well as the distillery in Tomelloso.

The Emperor, Andrew L Tan (foto:diariojerez)

The Filipino magnate wants to bring back the glory, success and positioning of Fundador and make it into a globally recognised brand. He will call the company Bodegas Fundador, but will not be overlooking the other brands such as world leader Harveys Bristol Cream, Terry Centenario, the leading brandy in Spain and Tres Cepas which has potential in emerging markets. He said he wants to make the product even better which will need investment but he is committed to this and also to look at ways to revive the fortunes of Sherry. “I believe in the future of Sherry and Brandy de Jerez”.