Vino Blanco Bijuré 2018 12%, Coop Albarizas

Appearance

Fairly pale strawy gold with golden highlights.

Nose

Fresh, forthcoming and attractive with lots of ripe fruit like apple, quince and apricot and traces of white flowers, honeysuckle and even a faint honeyed note. There is a certain generosity to it and a touch more complexity than Palomino alone would offer; those traditional old grape varieties really make a difference.

Palate

There is some depth here and the roundness of that ripe fruit is backed up with refreshing acidity giving it a pleasant tanginess. Then there is the classic Trebujena salinity giving a nice tension with the fruit and that dry chalky texture. Really good and interesting wine for the money.

Comments

This is the second release of Bijuré after last year´s very successful launch to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Albarizas Cooperative in Trebujena. It is a very interesting - not to say delicious - wine as it is made from old vine vidueño - a blanket term for other old traditional varieties which include Perruno, Mantúa, Barcelonés, Castellano, Cañocazo, Beba etc. and perhaps a little Palomino - all grown in albariza soils overlooking the area´s Guadalquivir marshland. The must was co-fermented in old butts seasoned with Fino, Amontillado and Oloroso before minimal stabilisation and bottling in late December. Only 3,000 bottles were produced. The wine can´t have any appellation status because of its use of no longer permitted varieties - or indeed the lack of a DO - but it is great to see them being used to such good effect. Maybe that is why Williams & Humbert buy some 50% of their production. Bijuré is a gypsy word for golden.

Price

11.70, De Albariza

Oloroso Castillo de Guzmán 18.5%, Cooperativa Albarizas

Appearance
Fairly deep mahogany fading to amber with copper highlights.
Nose

Forthcoming, fresh and attractive with lots of toasted almond and walnut and hints of caramel, garrapiñada (almond cooked in sugar), toasted bread and oak barrels. The toasted and woody notes, while gentle, give a hint of seriousness to a wine with a bit of charm. It's much better than some coop Oloroso for bars or further ageing, it has character.

Palate

Mid to full bodied with a decent attack which quickly mellows and all those toasty, oaky, nutty and caramel flavours come through. It is dry but nicely rounded and not too intense. It doesn't assault the palate with tannin or volatile acidity, it has decent grip but just gives pleasure, and has amazing length. Not super complex but super drinkable.

Comments

This attractive wine is made by the Cooperative Albarizas at Trebujena, which is in the production zone and therefore can't use the word Sherry on the label. That is what is though, and this is the first time it has been bottled, to celebrate the coop's 40th anniversary in 2017. It is a limited release and is a blend of wines from selected butts in the solera. The coop, which up till now has only sold its wine in bulk to bars and other bodegas, feels there is a retail market for well priced bottled wine, and has even opened a shop. The wine is not particularly old or strong so it is very useful everyday wine of decent quality and is very good value. I can see it selling well.

Price

4.50 euros per 50cl bottle, Licores Corredera

1.12.17 Official Launch of Maximum Brandy; Albarizas Coop 40th Anniversary

Grupo Estévez has celebrated the official launch of its new Maximum Brandy 100% Jerez. For some years the firm has been keen that both fortifying spirit and brandy should come from Jerez rather than La Mancha, and this new brandy comes from their own 800 hectares of vineyards and is 100% Palomino. The idea is to make a brandy which faithfully reflects the character of the vineyards of Jerez. It takes 5 kilos of grapes to make just one litre and the spirit, based on the 2014 vintage, is aged in butts seasoned with the company’s finest Oloroso. It is released under the brand Marqués del Real Tesoro and is available now in 50cl bottles.

Hot on the heels of the 50th anniversary of Covijerez comes the 40th anniversary of the cooperative in Trebujena known as Albarizas. This coop, founded in 1977, has some 220 members with a total of 710 hectares producing 2.1 million litres, and supplies grapes to Williams and Humbert among other bodegas. In celebration of the anniversary, and for the first time, they are bottling their own wine, a range of Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso, young white table wine and mosto. A despacho de vinos will open on 4^th December at the coop in the calle Jerez, Trebujena, for the sale of these wines. There is a total of 10,000 bottles.

(foto:cosasdecome)