Chardonnay-Sauvignon Blanc 2017 13.5%, Cortijo de Jara

Appearance
Very pale bright clean silvery gold with pale gold highlights.
Nose

There is plenty of clean fresh fruit here with mostly Sauvignon notes up front with their green kiwi and gooseberry fruit with a softer, fuller more floral Chardonnay following through. There are traces of confectionery and orchard aromas and the whole needs a little more time to harmonise, but it will.

Palate

Quite assertive with lots of zippy vibrant fruit, decent acidity and a gentle texture. A slight worry was that the grapes would need to be picked early to retain acidity and thus possibly lose out on full maturity, but they seem to have got it right. It could do with a little more bottle (and vine) age though just to harmonise everything, but for the first release it is impressive, long clean and fresh.

Comments

The wine from the highly commendable firm of Cortijo de Jara, which grows chickpeas, sunflowers, olives and wheat as well as wine in the countryside between Jerez and Medina, just seems to keep getting better. They have already won two prizes this year for red wines. This is the first release of the new Chardonnay-Sauvignon Blanc blend which amounts to only 2,500 bottles. The bunches were selected in the vineyard before hand picking. After pressing the must was fermented at a controlled temperature in a stainless steel tank to optimise primary aromas and flavours. I confess that I had some doubts about this blend, mixing the Loire with Burgundy one could say, but it is interesting and works really well.

Price
6.30 euros, Licores Corredera

Gewürztraminer 2017 12.5%, Cortijo de Jara

Appearance
Very bright pale gold with distinct notes of green and silvery gold highlights.
Nose

Exotic, fragrant and quite intense with notes of lychee, very slightly under-ripe peach, pineapple, honeysuckle, orange blossom and a trace of almost ginger-like spice. Classic Gewürztraminer nose and very fresh.

Palate

Super fresh fruity and tangy - the acidity is very good for the grape and the place, and all that fragrance carries through on the palate. It seems light at first but definitely has some body and there is a gentle, slightly chalky texture and considerable length. 

Comments

Gewürztraminer is  very unusual as far south as Cádiz being more of a northern grape, and one which can complete its ripening quickly leaving very low acidity, especially in a hot place. It is not one of the varieties permitted in the Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz regulations so it is legally simply a table wine, though it might contain a little Sauvignon Blanc, which is allowed. Nevertheless, it is a beautifully made wine with real character. The cortijo is located in a beautiful place about 25 km north east of Jerez on mixed soils with some albariza. The grapes were picked by hand at night for maximum freshness, cold fermented in stainless steel, stabilised, bottled without ageing and labelled by hand.

Price
6,95 De Albariza chalky texture

27.7.14 Table Wine Harvest Under Way in Jerez

The harvest is under way already in parts of the Sherry zone. This is the earliest start for quite a long time and the yield will be considerably down on last year. White grapes for Vino de la Tierra de Cadiz table wines are being picked now with the reds to follow soon. First to start at the beginning of the week, and picking at night, were Garcia Angulo Brothers with their Gewurztraminer, and they will soon be picking the Sauvignon Blanc, both grapes being used in their wine “Cortijo de Jara”. Before long they will be picking Tempranillo, Syrah and Merlot for their red wine.

A few kilometres north, Barbadillo is picking Sauvignon Blanc in their Gibalbin vineyard, and before too long will be picking the red grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Syrah for their “Gibalbin” red table wine.

The Palomino grapes from which Sherry is made are approaching the 10.5 degrees Beaume required by the Consejo before picking, but Barbadillo will be picking them soon for their “Castillo de San Diego” white table wine, the biggest-selling in Spain. Many white table wines in the area are made from Palomino, but there is a new tendency for the inclusion of other grapes to provide a greater range of aromas.

Another white grape, Chardonnay, is grown by Bodega Entrechuelos for their two white wines, Entrechuelos and Alhocen. This chateau-style bodega, run by Miguel Domecq has vineyards close to the XI century Torrecera. The oenologist Joaquin Gomez reckons picking will start on Friday, a good week earlier than normal. Barbadillo also use Chardonnay for their sparkling Beta Brut.

The early harvest has been caused by a very mild winter followed by early flowering, but the lower than average rainfall will not adversely affect the Vinos de la Tierra, as irrigation is permitted. The red grapes, which are planted ever more widely, look like being one to two weeks ahead of the usual, depending on location. They are ripe but not ready as their Beaume (sugar content) is still on the low side. Some white grapes have suffered from Oidium, especially Palomino, but that has been dealt with and they are healthy.

As Jose Maria Mateos of the Estacion de Viticultura put it: “It is more difficult to produce a white than a red. With whites, you need balance between aroma, acidity and alcohol, while with reds there are many more factors, most of which can be adjusted. Red is like an orchestra with 20 musicians, and white has only three.”  The Garcia Angulo brothers believe you can make good wine with hard work and sustainability.

The Sherry harvest should begin in the next 2-3 weeks, but things are looking good for the Vino de la Tierra wines of Cadiz. If you can bear to drag yourself away from Sherry, these are often excellent.