Arroyo Alquitón 2013 13.5%, Hacienda Parrilla Alta

Appearance

Dense opaque black red with a tight rim which has turned a youthful red.

Nose

Cracking nose; fresh, aromatic and attractive with lots of black cherry, plum and bramble fruit and just a trace of violet. There is still some youthful padding with some faint balsamic, lead pencil and spice notes from the French oak, all beautifully integrated. The overriding impression is of zesty fruit with a slightly more serious background. Great start.

Palate

Lots of upfront black fruit with a refreshing acidity which keeps it lively and the alcohol is not over the top and is nicely integrated. There is a decent structure without excessive tannin and the palate is round, balanced, almost zippy and elegant, substantial but not too strong or heavy. This is a classic example of how just good Tintilla can be.

Comments

This classic Tintilla comes from a steeply sloping west facing albariza vineyard with an altitude of over 180 metres near San José del Valle, south east of Jerez. This vineyard is ideal for the slow ripening of Tintilla, and yields are kept low. It is the estate's star wine but production is limited to around 2,000 bottles. The grapes are picked and de-stemmed by hand before undergoing a 7 day cold soak. The wine is fermented in oak using natural wild yeasts and the malo-lactic fermentation also takes place in oak before racking into French oak for 12 months ageing. The wine is subjected to the minimum filtration and was bottled in spring 2015 with a very good quality cork.

Price

15.90 euros, La Tienda del Jerez

Table Wine Bodegas: Hacienda Parrilla Alta

This fine cortijo built in 1881 and owned by the Rebuelta González brothers (related to González Byass), is located in an old 400 hectare estate at San José del Valle, about 35 km south east of Jerez, in lovely countryside close to the Sierra de Cádiz. It was planted with olives in the mid XIX century and currently includes agricultural and pasture land, where pure bred Iberico pigs roam free, and 16.5 hectares of vineyard. The pigs are sold to Sanchez Romero Carvajal who own the famous 5J brand. Nearby is the old Moorish castle Gigonza, and just a few km away is the large reservoir of Guadalcacín. The vineyard is on a fairly steep slope with albariza soil round which is the Arroyo (gully) Alquitón which drains into the Guadalete.

Vineyard manager Nicolas Lobato, manager Juan Miguel Gomez and proprietor Ricardo Rebuelta

The grapes, which are sustainably grown, are 6.5 hectares of Palomino and a little PX planted in 1972, and 10 hectares of the red varieties Tintilla, Shiraz, Petit Verdot and Merlot, planted in 2001/2, all supported on wires and all hand- picked. In 2012 they began to make red wines and gradually converted the old olive mill into a bodega as it was ideal for the purpose having thick walls and a high roof. Modern equipment was installed along with mostly French oak barrels for ageing. Ramiro Ibáñez was appointed as winemaking consultant and the wines, which are contract bottled by EMC3, are gaining a good reputation. 

Production totals a little over 20,000 bottles (plus olive oil) and the wines, which are Vinos de la Tierra de Cádiz, are:

Blanco Joven Palomino and PX cold fermented, 6 months on fine lees before bottling.

Tinto Joven Petit Verdot, Tintilla, Syrah tank fermented, malo-lactic plus 4 months in French oak.

Arroyo Alquitón Destemmed Tintilla from the best parcel undergoes alcoholic and malo-lactic fermentation in barrel followed by 12 months in French oak, then bottled with minimal filtration.

Tinto Dulce Tintilla and Syrah made sweet by stopping the fermentation and aged in French oak for 3 months

Address: Carretera de Gigonza (CA-5033) km 3.5, 11580 San José del Valle (Cádiz)

Telephone: (+34) 647 625 786

Website: www.haciendaparrillalta.com

Blanco Joven 2016 11%, Hacienda Parrilla Alta

Appearance

Very pale bright silvery gold.

Nose

Fresh, very young and almost raw with that appley Palomino character and hints of pear, glace fruits and meadow flowers, all very delicate.

Palate

Very light, super fresh, clean and gently tangy, it is a little like a mosto. There is an attractive minerality balanced with orchard fruit. It would benefit from some more bottle age to concentrate the flavours and nose.

Comments

This is a vino joven, a young wine which is not subjected to ageing, and is made from Palomino and a little Pedro Ximénez grown sustainably on albariza soil on a large estate near San José del Valle, of which 16.5 hectares is planted to various vine varieties. Yields are low and great care is taken both in the vineyard and the bodega where artisan techniques are used. The grapes were hand selected and de-stemmed before being gently pressed. After fermentation the wine was racked and then left on its fine lees for six months in stainless steel tanks at low temperature to allow precipitation before bottling. Only 2,000 bottles of this Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz were released.

Price
5.95 euros, De Albariza