Ojo de Gallo 2017 12.5%, José Estévez

Appearance

Bright pale strawy gold with golden highlights.

Nose

Fresh with notable minerality and plenty of Palomino apple, it has that gentle richness and elegance so typical of Macharnudo wines - emphasised a lille by lees ageing - and there is also a certain salinity. There is even the faintest honeysucle note after a while. Most attractive.

Palate

Lots of crunchy apple up front with a trace of malic acidity, then it softens off and some of that Macharnudo body comes through rounding it off nicely. There is a background trace of apple tart and custard too which almost obscures the classic chalky texture and trace salinity.

Comments

This is the third release of this excellent and successful table wine made from the firm´s own extensive vineyards in the pago Macharnudo Alto, one of the highest vineyard areas of Jerez and the farthest from the sea. The vines are around 25 years old and the must is fermented in stainless steel tanks using natural yeasts. After fermentation the wine is left on fine lees for six months before stabilisation and bottling in spring.

Price

8.20 euros, Licores Corredera

Vino Blanco Albariza 2017 12%, Grupo José Estévez

Appearance
Bright, clean pale silvery gold with white gold reflections.
Nose

Young, super fresh Palomino with notes of apple, hints of pear and minerals with faint salinity and herbal aromas, but fruit aromas predominate. It is light and very young and some of its aromas are still to develop fully, but it is very promising.

Palate

Fresh and reasonably crisp, it is quite a light wine but very much of its place. There is baked apple fruit balancing nicely with a dry minerally chalkiness so typical of the area. Balance is spot on and it has good length. All you need now is some seafood.

Comments

The image of a seahorse on the label reflects and pays homage to the origins of the albariza soil on which the vines for this new wine grow. This soil began to form 33 million years ago during the Oligocene epoch at a time when what are now the Sherry vineyards were beneath the sea. Millions of years of marine deposits slowly formed a layer of chalk which is now present in all the finest vineyards of the area. This wine comes from the firm's own vineyards and is exclusively made from mosto yema (first pressings) and the juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks where it is left to deposit its lees before filtration and bottling. It is 100% Palomino and is thus a very Jerezano white wine, a Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz. It is only recently bottled so it will develop more complexity over the next year, especially as the bottle is sealed with a Diam cork (guaranteed never to give cork taint). This is the little sister of Ojo de Gallo which comes from the pago Macharnudo. 

Price
4,50 Licores Corredera