21.10.17 Sherryfest New York to Open to the Public; VT Cádiz in Peñín Shortlist

The VI edition of Sherryfest will take place in New York between 27-29 October, and for the first time it will be open to the general public.  This will be a great event with dinners, seminars, cocktail events and the Grand Sherry Tasting on 28 October. Twenty bodegas will be pouring 150 Sherries at the Astor Center and this is not to be missed. The event coincides on the 27^th with the XII edition of the Sherry Cocktail Competition. Booking is vital and should be done as soon as possible at: https://www.sherryfest.com/events  where more details can be found.

The Sherryfest team

After long and intense rounds of tasting for the latest Guia Peñín, the tasters have selected the 10-wine shortlist for their “revelation” wines. These were chosen for their singularity and quality, and the only requisite for inclusion on the list is that they haven’t been tasted before. You won’t be surprised to learn that one of them is from Cádiz, and that it was made by Ramiro Ibáñez; his Ube Carrascal 2015. The Guia Peñín describes the wine as “a race apart, a vintage wine with a little flor, made by a young grower and oenologist who in recent years has set his sights, along with another group of rebels, on giving back to the wines of the area their sense of place. To achieve this he has simply revised and readapted the winemaking of the past, knowledge of which had been based until now on historic archives. His perspective goes back to times when wines were aged statically, when winemaking was not the most important aspect of the wine, when the vineyard character shone through and when extreme age was not necessary for quality.”

Ube de Ubérrima Carrascal 2015 12.5%, Bodegas Cota 45

Appearance

Pale to mid-depth strawy gold with golden glints.

Nose

Forthcoming and characterful, it could only be Palomino with its chalky mineral notes with apple and quince fruit and a trace of flor. It smells so fresh and natural - well it is - and there's a saline twist too. It really has its place of origin stamped upon it. 

Palate

Dry with a certain bitter crispness and a light texture, it is effectively unfortified Manzanilla only with a trace more fruit. It could not be said to be fruity as the purpose was to express the place, the soil using Palomino which has such a propensity for doing that. Still, there is an enticing balance between fruit and vineyard. The wine has a certain weight giving it presence on the palate and a long clean finish. Lovely.

Comments

This Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz was made by Ramiro Ibáñez from 100% Palomino but of various types: Palomino Fino (73%), Palomino de Jerez (16%) and Palomino Pelusón (11%). The grapes came from the small finca Las Vegas in the pago Carrascal where some of these old varieties can still be found in its albariza soil of the lentejuelas type. The vineyard is close to both Sanlúcar and the Atlantic. The wine was fermented in butt and left there to age for 20 months or so, unfortified, with the butts full enough to keep flor at bay. The 1,000 bottles produced were released in May 2017. "Ubérrima" means fertile, referring to the albariza soil whose character he wishes to demonstrate through the wine, and Ramiro also makes another version of Ube de Ubérrima from grapes grown in the pago Miraflores (QV). There is also a third wine yet to be released.

Price

21.50 La Tienda del Jerez