Vino Blanco Hacienda de Doña Francisca 2018 12.5%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance

Bright, fairly pale silvery gold with golden reflections.

Nose

Fresh open country and seaside air pervades the wine with gently tangy tartaric, herbal and slightly saline aromas intermingling with the apple ones so typical of Palomino. There are even  faint floral and background earthy hint as well, making it very natural smelling and attractive.

Palate

Crisp, clean and almost crunchy apples and a lively acidity give the wine real zip, yet there is a fuller side to it too with some body and the two sides will probably merge with a little bottle age. Naturally it has the classic albariza characteristics of  dry chalky texture and a slight salinity, and overall it has real character.

Comments

This is another in the Viña Callejuela range of three single vineyard table wines, and is the only one whose grapes come from Sanlúcar itself, from the Hacienda de Doña Francisca vineyard in the pago Callejuela. The vineyard extends to 16 hectares at an altitude of 62 metres and the Guadalquivir estuary can be seen in the distance and you can feel the sea breezes which make Sanlúcar special. The wine is, lie its siblings, 100% Palomino, fermented in ex Manzanilla butts and left on lees and under flor till the following spring when it is lightly filtered and bottled at the bodega.

Price

13.50 euros, De Albariza 

Vino Blanco Las Mercedes 2018 12%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance
Paleish bright strawy gold with golden glints.

Nose

Very young and very Palomino with plenty of the typical apple and stewed apple aromas and perhaps some traces of malic acid and pear. It is very fresh with an open-air in an orchard sort of character and some faint floral notes, but there is a little weight behind, and less of the Sanlúcar "wildness" and seaside air. It is lovely now but a year in bottle should make it show of its best.

Palate

Fresh, zesty, clean and lightly tangy with a slight chalky texture and plenty of apples. Añina wines are somewhere between the weight and style of Sanlúcar and Jerez, and this is right between the fuller Doña Francisca and the crisper Callejuela. It is very elegant with real vineyard character, precisely what the brothers were aiming for.

Comments

The pago Añina is nearer Jerez than Sanlúcar and the Las Mercedes vineyard is at 92 metres altitude, on good deep albariza with a warmer, drier climate than Callejuela, and it shows. These three wines were the brainchild of Ramiro Ibáñez, the extremely talented consultant oenologist for the Blanco brothers, to show the annual vintage variations and the key differences between the vineyards. The wines are totally natural and a little flor appears on them, but the wine is bottled before it has a chance to have much effect.

Price

13.50, De Albariza

Vino Blanco La Choza 2018 13%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance

Bright lemony mid gold with golden highlights.

Nose

Super fresh with all the classic hallmarks of Palomino with its characteristic apple aromas, both fresh and stewed along with a faint hint of glacé lemon and a  gentle mineral note. There is a little more weight here than in the Callejuela and Añina, as might be expected, and some texture as well, mot to mention some real charm.

Palate

With lots of apples, good and ripe, and  hints of quince and apricot it is a generous wine, quite full, sophisticated and beautifully rounded, almost soft. You hardly notice the gentle minerality that runs through it, but it is there, as is the dry chalky texture from the albariza adding complexity. This delightful wine proves that Palomino is by no means as simple as some seem to think.

Comments

Viña Callejuela own three vineyards in the classic pagos of Callejuela, Añina and Macharnudo, all at good altitudes for the best albariza. Here - apart from their  various standard Manzanillas - they produce three single vineyard table wines: Hacienda de Doña Francisca (Callejuela), Las Mercedes (Añina) and this one. They also use the same mostos to make three single vineyard single vintage Manzanillas in the Soleras de Almacenista range. Being from the Macharnudo, which is the farthest inland and thus warmest of their vineyards, this excellent wine is fuller and a shade stronger than the other two. The grapes for the table wines are picked a little later. It was fermented and aged in old well-seasoned Manzanilla butts without flor and bottled in April 2019.

Price

13.50 euros, De Albariza

Manzanilla Madura en rama Afanas 15%, Callejuela

Appearance
Clean strawy gold with golden highlights.
Nose

Quite complex and very saline and mineral, it definitely has that zippy steely seaside air of a classic Manzanilla along with notes of esparto grass and straw rather than the greener herbal notes of its youth. There is plenty of flor too and its bitterness is fading to a slightly more buttery character.

Palate

Fresh, crisp and slightly bitter, very dry and very tasty. Minerally and briny flor up front with those more dried grass and buttery notes following through. It has a very honest and natural character proper to wines both grown and aged in Sanlúcar along with the very earliest stages of developing into a pasada with faint traces of cabezuela. Good length too.

Comments

This delicious Manzanilla is a special Christmas bottling by the Blanco brothers to help raise funds for the very worthwhile charity Afanas which supports people with  mental disabilities and their families in the Sanlúcar, Chipiona, Rota and Trebujena areas providing five respite day centres. The wine is not the usual Manzanilla Madura which is lightly filtered but an en rama version which is over five years old and sealed with a quality twin top cork. The label was designed by three of those cared for by the charity and labelled by one of them, Lidia who also signed the neck label.

Price

8.50 De Albariza

Blanco Hornillos 2017 12.5%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance
Paleish strawy silvery gold with golden glints.
Nose

Fresh, pure and faintly yeasty with delicate apple, pear and apricot fruit and traces of fresh herbs like camomile, and white flowers, almost like walking through an orchard to a meadow in fresh slightly maritime air. There are hints of salinity and chalky soil too. Attractive, delicate and refined.

Palate

A little more weight now, and some more apple, there is a decent refreshing acidity making it almost crisp and plenty of tangy fruit flavour along with a hint of salinity and a slight chalky feel which slightly blunts the acidity, and a faint bitterness at the long clean finish. A charming and very drinkable wine.

Comments

This is a straightforward white wine from Callejuela's Hornillos vineyard in Sanlúcar which surrounds the bodega. It is 100% Palomino fermented in tank where it is allowed to decant after the malo-lactic. It has no flor, no oak, no ageing, as none of these are necessary to produce a decent white wine. What it does have is a certain flavour of the albariza soil and the environment of the Guadalquivir estuary along with the fruit of perfectly ripened grapes. This is exactly the same wine which will be fortified to feed the Manzanilla criaderas, and it amazing how its flavour can still be detected in the Manzanilla as it ages. The Blanco brothers are "mayetos" as they call growers in Sanlúcar, and want their wines to reflect the vineyards they are so proud of. Good price too for a wine with real character.

Price
6.95, De Albariza

 

Manzanilla pago Macharnudo Añada 2014 16%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance
Amber tinged golden straw with gold reflections.
Nose
Attractive complex and fresh although it is well developed for its age, with notable minerality, hints of straw, almond, damp cloth, olive brine and very faint aromas of butter and Marmite. Oxidation is slightly more advanced than in the Callejuela but less so than in the Añina. The characteristic flor bitterness is noticeable but not particularly obvious and the overall impression is of quite a mature biological wine, almost as if it had a few years in bottle.
Palate
Fairly full,very classy and very much still a biological wine; there is still a bitter bite from the flor yet there is also a very smooth, almost creamy feel to it. It is very dry with notes of brine and esparto with traces of cabezuela (though there can't have been much) and all the nuances are beautifully harmonised to give a very sophisticated result. It is delicious, long and very satisfying.
Comments
This is one of a trio of wines from the 2014 vintage produced in the vineyards owned by the Blanco brothers of Viña Callejuela in the pagos Callejuela, Añina and Macharnudo. They were all vinified separately but in the same way so as to highlight the styles of wine the different vineyards produce. The wines were all aged statically, no solera, and bottled on the same date, 6/5/2018, so they are all approximately 3 years and 8 months old. Without the refreshment and homogeneity provided by a solera the wines age and develop more quickly and in slightly different ways making them extremely interesting. Already they have reached 16%, unlikely in a solera, and have very distinct identities. The pago Macharnudo is regarded as the best of the pagos located near Jerez, and while grapes from any part of the area can be used to make Manzanilla, Macharnudo grapes are less common. This wine was classified as a Palma, an elegant and mature Fino/Manzanilla. These three wines were a brilliant idea and are a real experience and education in how Sherry develops, and the incredible range of styles produced. 2014 was a good year with few serious problems and a "normal" but very early harvest.
Price
26.50 per 50 cl, Licores Corredera

Manzanilla pago Añina Añada 2014 16%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance
Fairly full amber tinged gold with bright amber highlights.
Nose
Full, complex and assertive, there are some distinct notes of oxidation with the characteristic very slight caramel and overripe apple character, yet you can still find a salty maritime air and hints of brine and esparto along with a faint buttery note. It is almost beyond Manzanilla Pasada, there can't have been much flor left, and there is a hint of toasted bread and a very slight nuttiness.
Palate
Again full, a trace of Oloroso character here but still light in weight and strength and at the very early stages of its oxidative future. It is clean and well rounded with moderate acidity and quite intensely flavoured yet while the oxidative character dominates, you can still make out some Manzanilla notes; there is a slightly salty freshness and the faintest bitterness. Amazing stuff.
Comments

The Blanco brothers of  Viña Callejuela own vineyards in 3 pagos: Callejuela in Sanlúcar, Añina between Sanlúcar and Jerez and Macharnudo, regarded as the "grand cru" of Jerez. The three different vineyards give very different wines and the brothers have produced a range of three wines, one from each vineyard and all from the 2014 vintage, so the only difference between them is the vineyard. Being vintage wines they have not been refreshed as they would have been in a solera so they are more concentrated, effectively tasting a little older. They were all bottled in May 2018 making them nearly 4 years old but with a complexity which belies their age. Lying farther inland from the sea and the Guadalquivir, Añina gives fuller bodied wines than Callejuela, but the wine was aged in Sanlúcar and under flor so it is slightly fuller than "normal" Manzanilla. Given its style and stage of development it was classified as a Cortado, a wine which with continued ageing should become a Palo Cortado.

Price
26.50 per 50 cl, Licores Corredera

Manzanilla pago Callejuela Añada 2014 16%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance
Bright clean mid gold with golden highlights.
Nose

Fresh and fairly intense with all the classic Manzanilla hallmarks: almost steely fresh saline sea air, hints of fresh herbs, esparto, olive brine, sourdough and of course flor, but while this is slightly muted by static ageing it still gives verve and balance to the wine. There are also the faintest almost buttery oxidative notes which give more complexity than one could expect of a solera wine of this age.

Palate

Full and well developed, it starts out fresh, crisp and tangy and soon the complexity starts to come through. It really grows on the palate and has much more to offer than a solera wine with a similar average age. It has greater depth too coming from the concentration the wine undergoes without refreshment. There are very subtle oxidative or rancio notes which, together with the forgoing make the wine remarkably complex for its age, while still being a Manzanilla, and not far from a Manzanilla Pasada. It is very dry yet rounded with a slightly chalky texture and great length. 

Comments

This beautiful wine is one of a very interesting new range of 3 wines called Soleras de Almacenista from the Blanco brothers of Viña Callejuela. It strikes me as an odd name to choose given that the wines are vintage and have not been through a solera. Also the labels refer to them as "sobretablas" but I would have thought they were a little too old for that. Be that as it may, since they own vineyard in 3 pagos (Callejuela in Sanlúcar, Añina, between Sanlúcar and Jerez, and Macharnudo near Jerez) they have made a wine from each one from the 2014 vintage in exactly the same way so the only difference between them is the vineyard. They were then aged statically in Sanlúcar, and without the regular refreshment provided by a solera the wines develop more quickly, so in order to retain their biological character they need to be bottled comparatively early - this one on 6/5/18 to be exact, so they have just under 4 years of ageing. Static ageing explains the 16% alcohol content. This wine was classified as a Palma, a mature and complex biologically aged wine.

Price
26.50 per 50 cl, Licores Corredera

 

Manzanilla Añada 2012 Saca 4/11 15%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance
Strawy slightly brassy mid gold with golden glints.
Nose

Full and delightful. There are wonderful tensions between flor bitterness and early oxidation, dry scrub and humid barrels and Manzanilla and Manzanilla Pasada. It is really more pasada since it has been ageing more quickly as has not been refreshed with younger wine. While there are some traces of cabezuela, the oxidative notes are more evident. There is a distinct difference between this saca and the last. It is big and serious with those overripe apple and slight caramel notes of oxidation, and yet some brine and faint hints of herbs. Super interesting.

Palate

Full and very complex with the faintly saline mineral Manzanilla notes almost, but not yet  totally overtaken by the oxidative ones and there's a bit more body. In fact there are lots of young Amontillado notes with a gentle nuttiness setting in and a trace of salted caramel. It is close to that cusp, and much sooner than a solera wine. Bursting with flavour, it is absolutely lovely.

Comments

In 2012 the Blanco brothers kept back 11 butts of that year's Manzanilla for static ageing with the brilliant idea of bottling and releasing the contents of one butt every year, so one could follow the development of the wine year by year from a young Manzanilla to a Manzanilla Pasada to Manzanilla Amontillada to Amontillado. No further fortification will be done so it will end up as a natural Amontillado. The first release was 1/11 in 2015, so this is the fourth, and it was bottled as always in spring (27^th April). So this is a vintage Manzanilla from 2012, a little over 5 ½ years old, from a single butt and bottled en rama, and quite delicious! The brothers have other great ideas in the pipeline to watch out for and well deserve their success.

Price
19,30 per 50cl Licores Corredera

Sorry, couldn't wait...!

La Choza 2016 13.5%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance

Bright pale golden straw with golden glints, the deepest of this Viña Callejuela triumvirate.

Nose

Fresh and classy with noticeable but not overtly bitter flor balancing a gentle richness with traces of quince jelly, apple, apricot and a trace of mineral. As it opens out it gains in presence and complexity with the richness and body of a fine Burgundy, yet it is 100% Palomino with that lovely flor edge. The aforegoing is in contrast particularly to the Hacienda with its zippier more maritime style.

Palate

Substantial and rich, beautifully rounded and a bit riper than the Hacienda and Las Mercedes. That is down to it coming from the Pago Macharnudo. It is perfectly balanced;  if you look in that plumpness you can still find the acidity. Lovely flavours of well ripened fruit, clean and long and stylish.

Comments

This excellent wine comes from the 4.4 hectare La Choza vineyard owned by Viña Callejuela in the Pago Macharnudo, often referred to as the Grand Cru of Jerez. The vineyard is pure albariza at an altitude of 74 metres and is the farthest inland and therefore warmest of this threesome. Like the others, this was fermented and aged 7 months in ex Manzanilla butts under flor. The intention of the project was to demonstrate the differences between different albariza vineyards, using exactly the same vintage, vinification and ageing. The results are twofold: firstly these are three outstanding wines in their own right which show just how good Palomino can be, and secondly they clearly show the differences between the vineyards. They also show what a potent team there is in the Blanco brothers of Viña Callejuela and Ramiro Ibáñez. These are some of the very best table wines yet from the Marco de Jerez, but only around 1,000 bottles were made of each.

Price
12.50 euros, Licores Corredera

Las Mercedes 2016 13%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance

Lemony straw with golden reflections.

Nose

Very clean and fresh with up front flor not quite obscuring tangy Palomino fruit notes of apple and apricot, with floral hints like camomile and the smell of a wild meadow. There is an attractive though unexpected Riesling note but that gentle flor and a maritime trace bring us back to reality.

Palate

Super fresh and open with lots of fruit for a Palomino - but that is tempered by traces of minerality and bitterness from the flor which substitute for the lowish level of acidity. The wine is really young still but absolutely delicious now - and very moreish - it is beautifully made and leaves a long clean finish. It is a little darker in colour than Hacienda and bigger and softer with a touch more flor.

Comments

One of the three single vineyard wines launched recently by Viña Callejuela, this 100% Palomino Fino wine comes from the 8.5 hectare Las Mercedes vineyard on pure albariza soil at 83 metres above sea level in the Pago Añina, closer to Jerez than Sanlúcar. In the tradition of the Vinos Blancos de Sanlúcar, it is unfortified and sold young with a little flor influence, making for delicious and versatile table wine. Like its sister wines, La Choza and Hacienda Doña Francisca (QV), it is made from hand-picked grapes and is fermented in and spends 7 months in used Manzanilla butts under flor and bottled in the spring following the vintage. The only difference between the 3 wines is the vineyard they come from, and the idea is to show the different vineyard characteristics using Palomino as a medium, and it really works; the three wines are very different. Fewer than 1,000 bottles.

Price

12.50 euros, Licores Corredera

Hacienda Doña Francisca 2016 12%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance

Paleish golden straw with golden glints.

Nose

Very attractive and complex for its age with a perfect balance of flor notes and fruit. There is a distinct vineyard note of chalky minerality, a slightly salty maritime note and hints of orchard fruits with a serious slightly savoury note. 

Palate

Super fresh and gently tangy with salty and bitter notes from the flor competing with the apple fruit. There is a gentle chalky texture too. This is delicious and defies those who say Palomino has no character. It not only has character but that of a particular Sanlúcar vineyard. Long and clean.

Comments

This one of three lovely table wines launched by Viña Callejuela in the true Sanlúcar tradition of vino blanco. The principal difference between them is the vineyard, and they really show the difference between one and another, both in terms of soil and microclimate. They are all 100% Palomino from albariza soil, in this case that of the 16 hectare Hacienda Doña Francisca vineyard in the Pago Callejuela at 62 metres above sea level. The grapes were harvested manually, fermented in and aged for 7 months in ex Manzanilla butts under flor. Only 1,000 bottles were made unfortunately so let's hope they can increase production! See also posts on La Choza and Las Mercedes.

Price

12.50, Licores Corredera

Manzanilla Añada 2012 3/11 15%, Viña Callejuela

Apearance

Pale gold with a trace of amber and bright golden glints.

Nose

Super fresh and almost wild with noticeable salinity, restrained flor and traces of apple and fresh sea air. It has considerable charm with notes of camomile and a meadow full of wild herbs, yet there is also a more serious side with yeasty hints and olive brine, and everything is in perfect harmony.

Palate

Good and dry, fresh, with traces of racy chalky minerals giving a dry texture with exactly the right acidity. It is at an attractive stage of development where it still has signs of youth but those of early maturity are beginning to show. It has a deep savoury flavour and almost creamy consistency. The wine is now five years old and extremely elegant, with subtle but growing complexities. Pure Sanlucar in a glass. Delightful wine.

Comments

This is the third butt of the eleven laid down as a vintage wine in 2012, and each annual release has offered a shade more complexity than the last. It is a really inspired idea, as every year it just gets better. The wine is nearly 5 years old now but one has to wait a whole year for the next instalment. It is an agonising wait, but worth it. This was a limited advance bottling for the Copa Jerez Forum tasting, the rest was bottled 16th June 2017 and it will be available very soon - but barely 1,000 50cl bottles.

Price
Not released yet but will be about 20 euros per 50 cl bottle

(With GB's Jose Argudo in background)

Pedro Ximénez 15%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance

Deep, dark mahogany fading to amber with bright ruby highlights, legs.

Nose

Intensely fruity with lots of pasas and dates with background hints of dried apricot and a very slightly spicey note like ginger, then there are notes of light toffee and everything is in perfect harmony.

Palate

It is viscous and very sweet (naturally) but the intensity of flavour distracts the attention with its dried fruits, brown sugar and that spice note, and it has a lovely fruit pulp texture and traces of tannin from the grape skins. Despite the sweetness its long finish is very clean, lingering for ages.

Comments 

The Blanco brothers of Viña Callejuela produce two PX wines, this standard version and the 20 year old version which scored 93 Parker points last year. Like all their wines, both the PXs are produced from their own vines which they care for assiduously being staunch believers that the better the grapes, the better the wine. I think this wine is about 5 years old.

Price

About 12 euros from Licores Corredera

Manzanilla en rama 15%, Viña Callejuela

Appearance

Bright strawy gold with golden highlights, legs.

Nose

Fresh ozone and marked aromas of flor, straw, salt, camomile, grass and dry scrubland. This smells so natural and coastal with a slightly wild unrestrained nature, yet there is depth to it with notes of rope and a gentle hint of lees and autolysis. It starts innocently enough and then just grows.

Palate

A gentle acidity along with fairly powerful bitter almond flor notes make it assertive and lively from the start and then the complexity kicks in. There is a strong influence of yeast both from the wine's surface and from the bottom of the butt giving light bitterness backed up by almost oily autolytic flavours heavily influenced by the adjacent sea. Real character and terrific length.

Comments

Bottled on the 25th November 2016, this superb wine is made from a careful selection of the most interesting butts in the Manzanilla solera and is bottled with no clarification whatsoever. The simple presentation belies its sheer complexity. If "en rama" means "raw" then this wine is the epitome of that; it is full of life and character and is definitely a wine for laying down for two to five years. Some was bottled with a special label for the local charity AFANAS to raise money to help people suffering from mental illness and their families

Price
18.50 from Licores Corredera