Mahara Sparsus Aurata 2017 11.9%, Bodega Vinifícate

Appearance

Quite deep, amber tinged strawy yellow with old gold highlights.

Nose

In many ways similar to the Mahara Liza Ramada having been made using a similar - but not the same - method, and it is from Sanlúcar so it is different. All the  intense Palomino apples are there but there is more grape and it is a shade lighter, less full-on and more elegant.  There is more maritime salinity and in place of the ginger there is a hint of herbs. Bursting with character and super interesting.

Palate

Full and fresh with a zippy tang, lots of apple, a trace of  cider and a gentle texture with just a little grip with a chalky albariza dryness, and a little more salinity than Liza Ramada. It is very natural tasting with a very long clean finish. You can really see the difference between two different vineyards, which show how important they are, and it is wonderful to see people treasuring them.

Comments

This wine comes from a small 1 hectare west facing vineyard, Viña el Vicario, in the Pago Mahina near Sanlúcar. It is made from 100%  Palomino grapes from vines of over 80 years of age which means a miniscule yield of less than 20 hl/ha - fine quality but uneconomic for most people. In fact , if it were not for people like the Gómez Lucas brothers, vineyards like this would have long since disappeared, and many have. The hand picked grapes are de-stemmed and fermented with their skins for a week before pressing and the wine completes the fermentation in amphorae where it ages on the lees for nine months before bottling. 1846 bottles produced. Sparsus Aurata is the Latin name for the gilt head sea bream (or "dorada" in Spanish).

Price

17.15 euros, Licores Corredera

Amorro Blanco 2016 11%, Bodega Vinifícate

Appearance

Bright clean pale gold with golden glints.

Nose

Fresh, fairly full and appley with pear and floral hints, a slight trace of cider and a distinct saline mineral character. There is a teasing slight flor note, but flor wasn't involved. There is a decent degree of ripeness and a feeling of substance, making it rather interesting.

Palate

A reasonably crisp start leads into a broad, very slightly buttery and quite pronounced tangy apple/pear/quince flavour. Balance is good and there is a slightly chalky texture and a faint trace of bitterness which works well and leaves a very tasty and long finish.

Comments

Another lovely Vino de Cádiz wine from the Gómez Lucas brothers in San Fernando. It is made from Palomino grapes grown in Chiclana on both sandy and albariza soils which were harvested at night to keep them cooler. Once back at the bodega they were fermented naturally, using only local yeasts and without the addition of anything,  under controlled temperature. The wine was racked into fibreglass tanks where it rested for eight months before bottling without any filtration or clarification. Only about 5,000 bottles were produced for this first release. Amorro means a wine which can be enjoyed in quantity, and this certainly can. 2016 was not an easy vintage as after a long dry period there was heavy rain in late spring followed by lots of Levante, so careful grape selection was necessary, but the result is very good.

Price

8.80 euros, Licores Corredera