Frasquito Reserva en Rama 15%, González Palacios

Appearance
Quite deep brassy gold through yellow to pale rim, legs.
Nose
Intense with lots of flor and considerable depth, marine, saline and mineral elements and a suspicion of dried fruit and autolysis give it complexity, though predominantly sea and flor. Serious.
Palate
Full and generous with a certain roundness balancing the bitterness with gentle acidity, gentle salinity. It is a real mouthful on the palate, intense flavour and terrific length.
Comments
Known by the bodegas as "Flor de Lebrija" this delicious wine is made from Palomino grapes and aged under flor for five years in the bodega's best solera, bought from the Caro Salguero family. The grapes come from the González family vineyard "Abuelo Curro" NE of Sanlúcar at Lebrija, so it is not Sherry (though similar to Manzanilla) and carries the DO Vino de Calidad de Lebrija.

Price

€ 9-10 in Spain but unlikely to be available elsewhere...pity..

Bodegas: González Palacios

This family firm in Lebrija was established in 1960 by Francisco González Palacios who, having grown up in wine country developed a passion for it and started the bodega as more of a hobby than a business. He bought a vineyard called “Abuelo Curro” in the albariza soils overlooking the marshes of the Guadalquivir and makes the wines from its grapes.

Lebrija is actually in the province of Sevilla, upstream from Sanlúcar, and has a long history of the production of clays for tile and brick making as well as “Lebrija clay” which is used in fining of wines. While the town’s wines have a different Denominación de Origen from Sherry (DOP Vino de Calidad de Lebrija) they are quite similar, being made by the same methods from the same grapes grown in the same soils, just farther away. One of the great gypsy Flamenco singers came from here, Juan Peña “El Lebrijano.”

The firm has two bodegas, Los Arcos where 600 butts are stored and the newer Abuelo Curro which is near the vineyard and houses 420 butts as well as the modern vinification plant. Here they have a stainless steel de-stemmer and fermentation tanks, a pneumatic press, filtration and bottling plant. It is run by Francisco's grandson, Felix M González.

The bodega produces a range of wines which consists of:

Three table wines: the White Castillo de González Palacios and Overo and the red Overo Crianza

Three Finos: M Fina, M Fina El Poeta and Frasquito Reserva en rama

Three sweet wines: Moscatel, Vino de pasas (Moscatel & Palomino) and Lebrija Old Dulce

Lebrija Old Generoso, a 30 year old dry Oloroso

Address: Calle Consolación, 60 41740 Lebrija, Sevilla

Telephone: (+34) 955 974 084

e-mail: bodegas@gonzalezpalacios.com

Website: www.gonzalezpalacios.com

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