Bodegas: José Bustamante SL

José Bustamante y Sánchez was born in Málaga and moved to Jerez where he set up a small bodega in 1921 at C/San Francisco Javier, 3. He was essentially an almacenista but big enough to be selling his own brands of both Sherry and Brandy. 

Bustamante brands included:

Fino Betis; Amontillado Paso Doble; Fragata East India Medium Oloroso;  Reverencia Cream;  Special Solera Old Brown Sherry;  Calesa Manzanilla Pasada;  Polca Moscatel Viejísimo, as well as a complete range of spirits.

The bodega along with its soleras was bought by Sánchez Romate and sold in 2001 to Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castilla in neighbouring C/Jardinillo. These soleras - apart from the PX and obviously the Manzanilla which was bought in - now produce the very fine Fernando de Castilla Antique range.

Antique Fino 17%, Fernando de Castilla

Appearance

Deepish yellowy gold with old gold highlights, clear and bright with slightly more pronounced legs than usual.

Nose

Dry with strongly saline olive brine notes, a certain creamy yeastiness and slight traces of oak and bitter almond. This is an old wine in pristine condition, and certainly in the realms of the Palmas, perhaps 2 or 3. It seems slightly austere at first, but soon reveals considerable complexity and a little body too.

Palate

Full, very dry with an attractive bitterness and salinity from extended contact with yeast above and below - the saltiness from the flor above, and the slightly autolytic flavours from dead yeast cells at the bottom of the butt. Very complex and crying out for some almonds or Iberico charcuterie.

Comments

An amazing wine, so well nurtured for so long, 9 years in fact. Not totally unlike a Manzanilla pasada, but from Jerez, it is amazingly complex, and lingers on the palate for ages. It comes from a single small solera formed by removing 30 butts from the Classic Fino solera and leaving them aside for 4 years to mature further. The wine undergoes only the lightest filtration before being bottled only once a year. Jan Pettersen, the owner of the bodega, is a huge Sherry fan and is dedicated to producing the finest quality. He decided to take the uncommon step (now) of fortifying the wine again to 17% vol which gives it unique personality and more presence than the usual Finos sold at 15% vol and more thoroughly filtered.

Price
£ 17.95 (50cl) from Drinkmonger

Classic Fino 15%, Rey Fernando de Castilla

Appearance
Pale to mid strawy gold, legs.
Nose
Dry, quite serious, saline flor elements with very slight background traces of autolysis and oxidation, fruity background note of Palomino, quite big.
Palate
Serious, full, dry, complex, certainly older than the usual 4 or 5 years, some bitterness from the flor and quite intense with hints of straw and bitter almond, very long.
Comments
Fine quality. It is  about 4 1/2 years old and comes from a 3 criadera solera. Some of the wine is bottled as Classic Fino while the rest of it goes to feed the Antique Fino solera.

Price

£ 10.00 from Woodwinters, Edinburgh

Oloroso Antique, Rey Fernando de Castilla

Details:
50cl bottle, 20% alc/vol, £23.75
Appearance:
Mid amber, old gold/copper highlights and vague yellowy green rim, legs.
Nose:
Big, complex, fragrant, old, touches of toasted hazelnuts, walnuts and walnut shells, old oak barrels, dried fruit notes and a trace of almost burnt sugar sweetness to balance. Evolves nicely in the glass developing into a tight and extremely elegant Oloroso.
Palate:
Full bodied, completely dry, quite tangy, intense and complex flavours of nuts, especially walnuts, finely controlled oxidation and traces of dried fruits and wood. There is lovely texture and length here, and all is balanced and controlled.
Comments:

A wonderful, clearly very old wine which lingers on the palate for ages. In fact it is from an 80 year old solera bought from Jose Bustamante by Jan Petterson. and the wine itself is over 20 years old,