Vino Blanco Cañada del Taraje 2018 11.5%, Almazara del Manzanillo

Appearance

Mid to pale strawy gold with golden glints and a slight trace of residual CO₂ which goes.

Nose

On the full side, good and ripe, perhaps a hint of extended skin contact, quite sophisticated and very faintly nutty with traces of dried or glaҫé fruit like apricot, mango and quince.  There is also a slight honeysuckle-like sweet floral note.

Palate

There is real character here; good ripeness has left a lowish level of acidity which helps bring out the flavour of the grape which has that very slight nuttiness and an almost honeyed note. Despite the grape´s comparatively low sugar levels, this example has just a trace of residual sugar, bu also just enough acidity to balance it giving an exceptionally clean, dry and reasonably long finish.

Comments

This delicious wine is produced in very small quantities (1,200 bottles) in the Cañada del Taraje vineyard in Olvera among the olive trees near Zahara de la Sierra, at the northern tip of the Sierra de Grazalema in the northeastern part of the province of Cádiz. It is made up in the hills from the organically grown Perruno grape which is indigenous to the area, and though some was allowed for Sherry in the past, it  has largely disappeared in favour of Palomino. It is a comparatively late ripener with thicker skins than some varieties and lowish sugar levels but is capable of producing good wine if yields are kept low and care is taken as it has here. Almazara is an old arab word for olive mill, and olive oil is the main business here (the excellent Oleum Viride), but it would be silly not to make wine if you can, and they also make the really good Fine Tempo (QV). No additives, filtration or any of that nonsense, just totally natural.

Price

7.90 euros, Licores Corredera

Fine Tempo 2017 14.5%, Oleum Viride

Appearance

Dense black cherry red with a tight purple rim.

Nose

Very fresh with loads of rich ripe almost jammy black plum and cherry fruit with a gentle tang and textured with a note of grape pulp and even skin, it is riper than one would expect in the grapes´ homeland and there are faint traces of smoke and spice from the Syrah, super ripe blueberry from the Petit Verdot and a distant note of oak.

Palate

Big and quite intense with all that ripe grape texture melded with some chalkiness yet the tannins are by no means excessive and there is enough acidity to keep things fresh. So it is well structured but very smooth and there is just so much fruit, super ripe yet super fresh and almost - but not - sweet; the wine is still very young but well balanced so will develop well in bottle for the next 3 or 4 years.

Comments

This very attractive wine comes from the northern tip of the Sierra de Cádiz and is produced on an estate called Finca Haza las Lajas in natural parkland near Zahara. The estate, which is farmed organically, produces superb olive oil and in fact the wine is more of a secondary product and produced on a comparatively small scale. It is very good however, and is only sold in good years. The vineyard extends to only 2.3 hectares on a sandy chalky slope planted to Syrah and Petit Verdot, while the bodega is in a cave which accommodates a few barrels, all of different woods and different ages. Thus, every year will turn out a dozen or so different wines, aged for a few months, and the best are selected and blended for sale and bottled unfiltered. Annual production is usually less than 3,000 bottles. The business dates back to 2004 with the vines being planted then and now they are giving of their best.

Price

16 euros Licores Corredera

Fine Tempo 2011 14%, Oleum Viride

Appearance

Almost opaque blacky red with a maturing red to brick rim.
Nose
Full with lots of fresh tangy black fruits like bramble, blueberry and plum with a hint of raspberry from perfectly ripened fruit and yet it is beginning to open up and shed a bit of fat. There is a balsamic note with traces of grapeskin and spice from the oak. Good start.
Palate
All that fruit is up front and still covers a good structure with ripe tannins and a certain lean mineral note. There is also a decent acidity which keeps it fresh. This is a really good, natural flavoured wine which is beginning to show some of that grace of maturity and still has a lot of life left in it. It is dry, clean and very long and I look forward to tasting it again.
Comments

This wine comes from a small organic vineyard on a pronounced slope in the Finca Las Lajas planted to Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot in 2005 near the beautiful hill village of Zahara de la Sierra, which overlooks a huge reservoir and is inside the National Park of the Sierra de Grazalema. The main agricultural product here is olives and while Oleum Viride (oleum viride is Latin for green oil) mainly produce olives and oil they also have between 2 and 3 hectares of vineyard on a mix of sandstone and limestone soils which are low in organic matter. The wine is made in a totally artisan manner with no regard whatever for what the market might want; if they like it they bottle it, but 3,000 bottles are as many as they can make. The wines are aged separately in a mix of a dozen barrels of different oaks and different ages for around a year - in a cave! Every barrel turns out something different and the result is a wine with a singular capacity for ageing. The grower is Luis Lucero and the technical consultant is Miguel Gómez Lucas.The wine is contract bottled by Compañía General de Vinos de Cádiz in Arcos de la Frontera and sent back to the cave for some bottle age. It is gaining a local reputation for quality and has won a couple of medals.

Price
11.80 Licores Corredera