Fino En Rama Vintage 2006 15%, Williams & Humbert

Appearance
Yellowy gold, quite bright, light legs.
Nose
Intense, lots of flor, very yeasty with waxy straw notes and gentle hints of autolysis, generous, quite full and very dry, with traces of dry scrubland in the background. This is serious stuff.
Palate
Tangy and yeasty, full and bitter, not particularly salty, very Jerez, delicious feel and depth of flavour from autolysis, traces of wood and sheer intensity, with a long very dry finish, a lovely wine.
Comments
This is Fino Pando without stabilisation at 7 years old, (bottled 2014) and shows just how good it is. Also, as a vintage wine or "Añada" it is quite unique. Out of 25 butts filled for this experiment, only 2 developed into a vintage Fino as the flor died off in the sealed butts. Vintage Sherries must be sealed by the Consejo, and this usually kills the flor, but it can, occasionally, survive, and this is one of those rare occasions. It is of course very limited.Unfortunately Pando itself is not available in the UK. This Fino en Rama 2006 (IWSC Gold winner) forms part of the W&H "Treasure Selections" range which includes As You Like It and a 1982 Vintage single cask Oloroso. So lots of interesting things at W&H, especially as they are continuing every year with the vintage Fino!
Price
Around £ 25.00 per 50 cl bottle and well worth it for its uniqueness.

30.7.14 Tio Pepe Roundabout; Sherry sales 1st Semester 2014

The new Tio Pepe roundabout is nearly ready. The work of sculptor Chiqui Diaz, selected from four candidates by 6,000 people online, is in place and work is almost complete. The roundabout is at the start of the Avenida Tio Pepe in Jerez leading out to the airport. The fact that the voting came in from all over the world shows how international the interest is in Tio Pepe and Sherry itself.

(foto + Jerez)

Sales of Sherry for the first 6 months of 2014 have not reflected the buzz of the European City of Wine status, at least not in volume. While there is stability in the Spanish market, exports are down 5.3%. Figures from the Consejo show that while volumes are down, average prices are up, which compensates in part for the drop in volume. 16.5 million litres were sold representing a fall of 1 million litres against last year.

Among the export markets the worst result was in Britain with a worrying fall of 9%, down 3.2 million litres in volume. European sales in general are a touch over 9.2 million litres, a drop of 6.6%. Holland imported 2.9 million litres, down 2.86%, and Germany 1.6 million, down 5.3%. The USA is down 18% on sales of 701,675 litres and Asia is down also, especially Japan with a drop of 35%, importing only 62,000 litres.

Public toast in C/ Lanceria (foto Diario Jerez)

The Consejo attributes the poor export results, particularly in the UK, to the increase in price and tha lack of the usual promotions by major brands of the sweeter styles of Sherry associated with the older generation. This mature market which represents some two thirds of UK Sherry drinkers has had it good for a long time, but now we are seeing the rise of new consumers, younger people with more disposable income and who are prepared to spend more on good wine.

The only good news is that the Spanish market only dropped 0.45%, and the 11 million litres sold in the last 12 months make Spain the principal market, ahead of the UK.

PX 15%, Emilio Hidalgo

Appearance
Almost black, deep burnt umber to brown-stained amber and a green-tinged rim, long slow legs.
Nose
Intense aromas of pasas and dried figs, very fruity and quite concentrated with the slightest savoury note and traces of American oak. You can smell the very pulp of the sunned grapes along with traces of toast, coffee, caramel and a bodega full of ageing Sherries.
Palate
Soft fruity and deliciously smooth at first, then the more serious notes appear: traces of tannin, coffee, toffee, creme caramel and a gentle grippy tanginess. It grows in complexity and texture on the palate into a wine with some body, and leaves a long-lasting memory of a good PX.
Comments
Containing around 430 g/l natural grape sugar, this wine sounds intensely sweet, and it is, but that level of sweetness is not unusual in PX. What is unusual is that this wine is aged in its solera outside, against the bodega wall under an extended roof. This way it matures more quickly and rapidly develops concentration. Obviously this process works, as the wine is excellent, but this is just the young PX; they also offer the PX Santa Ana from a solera dated 1861 with an average age of around 100 years! Needless to say that is very expensive and hard to obtain, but this "baby" is delicious and will keep us going nicely while we save up.
Price
About £ 16.00 in the UK. Agents are Caves de Pyrene

29.7.14 I Tio Pepe Festival

Gonzalez Byass are launching the I Tio Pepe Festival. Subtitled “El Arte de las Musas”, it takes place at 20.30 on the 14^th August at the bodegas and features music, dance and wine. Artists appearing will be the soprano Ruth Rosique, pianist Rosa Torres-Pardo, flamenco singer Rocio Marquez and dancer Leonor Leal. Dinner will also be served. For tickets contact www.bodegastiopepe.com

27.7.14 Table Wine Harvest Under Way in Jerez

The harvest is under way already in parts of the Sherry zone. This is the earliest start for quite a long time and the yield will be considerably down on last year. White grapes for Vino de la Tierra de Cadiz table wines are being picked now with the reds to follow soon. First to start at the beginning of the week, and picking at night, were Garcia Angulo Brothers with their Gewurztraminer, and they will soon be picking the Sauvignon Blanc, both grapes being used in their wine “Cortijo de Jara”. Before long they will be picking Tempranillo, Syrah and Merlot for their red wine.

A few kilometres north, Barbadillo is picking Sauvignon Blanc in their Gibalbin vineyard, and before too long will be picking the red grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Syrah for their “Gibalbin” red table wine.

The Palomino grapes from which Sherry is made are approaching the 10.5 degrees Beaume required by the Consejo before picking, but Barbadillo will be picking them soon for their “Castillo de San Diego” white table wine, the biggest-selling in Spain. Many white table wines in the area are made from Palomino, but there is a new tendency for the inclusion of other grapes to provide a greater range of aromas.

Another white grape, Chardonnay, is grown by Bodega Entrechuelos for their two white wines, Entrechuelos and Alhocen. This chateau-style bodega, run by Miguel Domecq has vineyards close to the XI century Torrecera. The oenologist Joaquin Gomez reckons picking will start on Friday, a good week earlier than normal. Barbadillo also use Chardonnay for their sparkling Beta Brut.

The early harvest has been caused by a very mild winter followed by early flowering, but the lower than average rainfall will not adversely affect the Vinos de la Tierra, as irrigation is permitted. The red grapes, which are planted ever more widely, look like being one to two weeks ahead of the usual, depending on location. They are ripe but not ready as their Beaume (sugar content) is still on the low side. Some white grapes have suffered from Oidium, especially Palomino, but that has been dealt with and they are healthy.

As Jose Maria Mateos of the Estacion de Viticultura put it: “It is more difficult to produce a white than a red. With whites, you need balance between aroma, acidity and alcohol, while with reds there are many more factors, most of which can be adjusted. Red is like an orchestra with 20 musicians, and white has only three.”  The Garcia Angulo brothers believe you can make good wine with hard work and sustainability.

The Sherry harvest should begin in the next 2-3 weeks, but things are looking good for the Vino de la Tierra wines of Cadiz. If you can bear to drag yourself away from Sherry, these are often excellent.

Amontillado La Garrocha 18%, Bodegas Grant

Appearance
Gold tinted amber, looks fairly young, legs.
Nose
Light nose, very slightly floral with definite traces of fino and hints of autolysis and oxidation. It has some weight, considerable charm and lots of all kinds of nuts, even turron yema tostada and some glyceric sweetness. Very attractive young Amontillado.
Palate
Quite full, nicely textured with  a trace of sweetness balanced by hints of oak. There are early oxidative notes, those which appear before the full nuttiness of older Amontillado, so this is quite a young wine and at an interesting stage, more of a Fino Amontillado, but that term can no longer be used.
Comments
La Garrocha (which is a dance performed on horseback with a stick) is only about nine years old, and thus has spent most of its life under flor, which certainly shows. They produce another older Amontillado as well, but this one is fun.
Price
Not available in the UK, but half bottles sell at $14 in the USA.

25.7.14 Another Prize for Lustau Oenologist; Vuelta de Espana Starts at Jerez

Lustau chief oenologist Manuel Lozano has been awarded the Premio Ciudad de Jerez (City of Jerez Prize) by the council. These are annual awards, and are given to citizens or local institutions for outstanding contributions to public life that year. Manuel Lozano has been awarded “Best Fortified Winemaker” for the last 6 consecutive years.

The Vuelta Ciclista a España (“Tour de Spain”) starts at Jerez in this year’s 69th race. The cycles will leave from the Plaza del Mamelon, where wine, horses, flamenco and cycles will emphasise the city’s year as European City of Wine. This is one of the big three European cycle races.