Author: sharquillo

What’s in a name

~ sharquillo ~ 1 Comment

I recently saw a post by Erik Burgess of MontillaMorilesWines.com  pointing out that “Andalucia’s oldest bodega”, Alvear, in Montilla Moriles, “can nevertheless not call itself sherry”. It struck me as an odd point and one that gave me pause for thought.

I must be honest my first instinct was to question the argument. (Frankly what does being in Andalucia and being old have to do with it?) But aside from petty snarkery it also made me think about an issue that has been bothering me for a while.

I am a “sherryblogger”. I like to think of myself as part of the “sherry revolution” (not the silent part). I often tag my tweets “sherrylover”, go to events called “sherryfest” and receive Christmas greetings where “sherry” replaces “merry”. “Sherry” is a big part of my life.

But, frankly, I can’t stand the name “sherry”, and I wondered why a famous old bodega like Alvear would want to saddle their lovely wines with such a moniker.

I have no doubts about the value of “sherry” as a brand, its historic importance, long tradition, and contribution to the “cause”. Neither do I doubt the value of the work put in over the years to protect the name from foreign usurpers. In fact the frustrated desire expressed by the above post shows the value placed in the name by those not entitled to use it.

But I dislike it. I prefer the slightly clunky but much more accurate “wines of Jerez and Sanlucar”, for a number of reasons. (In Spanish I occasionally use “Jereces” but even then under silent mental protest.)

First, and foremost, because I feel that “sherry” contributes to the widespread misconception that “sherries” are somehow a category apart from other wines, undeserving of a place in the wine list or even on the same aisle in the supermarket as the other wines. It is not the only culprit on this score – the lack of vintages, the lack of recognition of terroir, and much of the paraphernalia (the terrible “catavinos” glasses) add to the impression. There is also some truth in the fact that many (not all) of the wines of Jerez and Sanlucar are produced in a fundamentally different way and have highly distinct characteristics. Nevertheless, they are wines (fortified or not) and I strongly feel it would be better if we refer to them as “wines” rather than “sherries”.

Second, because the baggage accumulated over the years by the word “sherry” is not all positive. Not all the wines sold under the name have been as good as they should be, and even when they were, the term “sherry” has become synonymous with certain styles of wines and as commodities, without much room for distinction. If you did a word association with sherry back home I bet the first matching words would be “trifle” and “cooking”. (Yes sherry is great to cook with but it shouldn’t be on the same shelf as the vinegars.)

Third, because it does a misservice to the enormous variety of the wines produced in the region – finos, finos del puerto, manzanillas, manzanilla pasadas, amontillado finos, amontillados, palo cortados, olorosos, amorosos, mediums, creams – they are so different that when someone asks you to define “sherry” in few words you can only do it at a high level of abstraction.

Geographically too, “sherry” gives precedence to Jerez and neglects (or maybe subsumes) the other centres in region, in particular Sanlucar and el Puerto, but also Chiclana and others. This may be no more than historical fact, but I think it is a shame not to celebrate the diversity of terrain at least a little bit. (I also recognize that my “wines of Jerez and Sanlucar” is incomplete but look you only get 140 characters on twitter …) If I had my way in fact we would be talking about Miraflores, Mahina, Macharnudo, Balbaina, los Cuadrados, Carrascal, Añina, etc.

Shapesmoke swoon of avalon may once have said, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”, but I honestly believe that if you gave a wine enthusiast some of the wines of Jerez and Sanlucar they would like them more if you didn’t tell them they were “sherries”. In this respect just look at the guys at Equipo Navazos – in many respects the model to follow in terms of the marketing and promotion of these wines. They talk about “the traditional wines of Andalucia” and they celebrate their diversity like crazy (to the tune of 60 odd different wines and counting in just over ten years). You see the same at Emilio Hidalgo, with their “Vinos Genuinos de Jerez”.

So while I will keep on blogging, and drinking, and generally doing everything I can to further the revolution, I will not be killing in the name of “sherry”.

Garum 2014

~ sharquillo ~ 2 Comments

Described as “entry level” by its maker, Willy Perez, this is a red table wine from Merlot, Syrah and Petit Verdot grown on various pagos in Jerez, with 12 months in american and french oak.

Relatively dark in colour and the nose puts you in mind of jammified blackberries, but spicey and herbal  – salty rosemary or oregano or a mix of the two. On the palate it has those jammy blackberries, nice acidity and soft tannins – and maybe I am imagining it but it seems saline to me – makes my tongue water. 

Good stuff on the entry level – looking forward to the upper floors now. 

Amontillado 2003, Williams Coleccion Añadas

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I still haven’t managed to find a moment to open the whole box together but continue to pick off lone bottles of these añadas one by one: so far I have tried the 2009s and now this one (if we are not counting the 2006). Of course they are all similar wines – from the same pagos, made by the same maker in the same bodega – but it is still really remarkable how clear their shared signature is – and indeed I recently had a chance to try the “historic vintage” oloroso and that too was clearly a slightly older brother to these.

And, like those other wines, this is an absolute belter. A beautiful old gold colour (just look at that camerawork), it has a lovely refined nose with hazelnuts baked in granary bread and just a bit of that sweetness in the background. Then on the palate it is wonderfully smooth and elegant, with very refined flavours – nuts, yeast, and minerals. Not all that concentrated but full and seamless – like an opera singer with no vibrato. On the ficha that Williams & Humbert were kind enough to send me they say “rounded” and it certainly has no hard edges.

That tasting note is in fact rather confusing – I had assumed that this was an amontillado on the basis that the flor had given up the ghost in the cask, but according to the ficha it was at some point fortified to 18º (and presumably some time ago, because it finishes up at a hefty 20.5º – which by the way you would never guess in a million years), before being classified as an amontillado in 2016.

However it was made, it is brilliant, and it is absolutely shocking how little of this is available. I am not going to say where I got it just in case I can still get some more.

Fino en rama Arroyuelo, saca de marzo 2015

~ sharquillo ~ 3 Comments

This wine for me is defined by its minerals, even compared to other finos. Some sacas are exhilaratingly saline, so zingy that they are like the famous “salty knives” of Sanlucar, others are less piercing but still structured, and you get more of the apple juice fruit as a result. (It is, of course, from Finca Matalian.)

The saca from last September was of the latter school, and I remember at the time I tried it that I would like to see the comparison with this one from March last year. Several weeks have gone by since then so I am not able to compare faithfully but this certainly seems to have a more mineral feel – real zing and structure, and also big volume, and instead of apples more along the lines of celery and green leafy vegetables, just a hint of that salad-like spiciness.

Really good stuff yet again.

 

Jerez: a look forward

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W&H-LUIS PEREZ 3

Since 2014 and the celebration of Jerez as European capital of wine, Williams & Humbert, has organized a “Ciclo de Conferencias” and on Friday the guest speaker was one of the most revered voices in Spanish winemaking: Luis Perez Rodriguez (on the left in the photo above, with Jesús Medina, director of W&H), a renowned academic and professional, formerly of the legendary Bodegas Domecq, now of Bodegas Luis Pérez, and multiple prize winner for his enological research. I have never met him personally, but people that I consider to be authorities cite this man as “the” authority. Indeed, just this weekend I was sent a link to this account of the conference with the explanation that this was “the person with the most complete knowledge of Jerez by a considerable distance”.

So it is no surprise to hear that over 150 turned up to hear what he had to say – I wish I had been one of them (in fact I missed two great events this week – Alvaro Giron Sierra gave one of his tours de force in Barcelona on Tuesday). As it is, I have only seen the press stories and the press release that was kindly sent to me by Williams & Humbert but from what I have seen some excellent points were made. As such, since I have found no translation I have had a stab at my own below – not as elegant as Don Luis’ original phrasing but one does one’s best .

W&H-LUIS PEREZ 2

As the title above suggests, the main thrust of the presentation was forward looking, and focussed on how to win greater value for the wines of the region, although interestingly he appears also to have addressed one of the issues that I find most fascinating about the region: the dichotomy between the vines and vineyards, on the one hand, and the “high walls” of the bodegas, on the other.

The issue is summarized elegantly: “since no other wine exists that evolves as much during the ageing process as does a jerez wine, it is easy to see that the world of the bodegas has such a dominant role that it beomes very difficult to see beyond its walls”.

It is clear that, for Don Luis, it would be a mistake to focus exclusively on the bodegas. “The reality of Jerez includes a patrimony that goes beyond the bodegas and as long as three thousand years ago captivated the visiting phoenicians: the vineyards, and specifically the pagos of Albariza”. As he put it “one cannot understand the concept of a wine without its vine” a reality which has been “relegated in the last four decades and which must be recovered”.

As examples of the characteristics of the vine and the fruit being given less importance in recent times Don Luis talked about processes that have lead to a “greater standardization” of wines. Specifically mentioned are the belief that finos de jerez have lost their distinctive characteristics and become more similar to the traditional style of manzanillas (the brilliant verb “amanzanillamiento”) or the way that clarification and stabilization of wines had, until the recent popularity of en rama bottlings, lead to wines that were both more expensive to make and, ironically, less distinctive and perceived to be of lower quality.

For Don Luis, giving greater importance to the vines and vineyards of Jerez would give the wines “characteristics that in today’s world would add great value”, making reference to “winegrowing areas that not only value the character of the vines of the pago but also the even more specific qualities of the precise vineyard” and urging the sector to consider “a classification that differentiates, without creating a manichean black and white, so that the winemaker can characterize his wine harmonizing terroir and crianza”.

He also went on to add that “Jerez today has a strategic opportunity to start such a remodelling. We are talking about a denominación de origen whose current vineyards are more than 7.000 hectares, a surface area that permits it to aspire to the very highest levels of qualiy. Its location makes possible a diversity and a singularity that is very attractive and would permit the recovery of some the varieties of Palomino lost during the 20th Century. This would lead to the production of wines with a real vocation to express terroir”. And returning to his key point, “giving importance to the vine in the wine of jerez, would mean giving that wine characteristics that in today’s world would add significantly to its value.”

The professor went on to make a number of other interesting points about the interplay between science and nature, viticulture and enology, and about the iconic, evocative power of wine in general and the wines of Jerez in particular. For those I can only refer you to the official press release (to which I cannot find a link) and other accounts like the one in Diario de Jerez linked above. But these thoughts on terroir and the characteristics that terroir can imprint on the wines strike me as so important that I wanted to share them.

And although Don Luis appears to have stuck to his resolution to look to the future, the dichotomy that he rightly points out between the vineyard and the bodega seems to me to be a subject that deserves some serious attention. There is no doubt about the miracles that can be achieved in the bodega, and the solera, but neither is there any doubt in my mind of the unique characteristics of wines from different vineyards, and for much of the time it seems that the two camps in Don Luis’ dichotomy are on opposite sides and pulling in different directions, a fight which given the relative size of the parties can only result in the dominance of the bodegas. However, and precisely because of that muscle it is those bodegas that stand most to gain, as this thoughtful conference elegantly points out, and if the renaissance of the region is to prove lasting and real then surely those bodegas will play a leading role.

Even if he were not the great authority on the wines of Jerez and Sanlucar that he undoubtedly is, I believe that the evidence of wine regions worldwide, in every style and tradition, proves Don Luis  correct in his analysis, and I fervently hope that the bodegas, who are more important than they perhaps realize, hear the call.

 

 

 

 

The wines of Alba Viticultores, Spring 2016

~ sharquillo ~ 8 Comments

It has been a really tough week but what a great way to head into the weekend – a really cracking lunch with some fascinating, delicious wines from Alba Viticultores, a group of young  winemakers that are pushing the boundaries in every direction down in Sanlucar.

They are all (with a couple of noted exceptions) palomino fino from vines on albariza soils in Sanlucar and all impeccably “natural” – no additives, the bare minimum of SO2 (if that), indigenous yeasts, little or no filtering or clarification – and some of the wines I have tried in the past have come across as slightly experimental in character. However this latest crop are the best I have tried yet – really good on any level.

We kicked off with the Alba Rojo Pago Miraflores 2015 (without so2, 10.8º) A red wine from tempranillo (which they describe as a type of Listán – I am assuming we are not talking the same tempranillo of Rioja and Ribera del Duero fame but I may be wrong) from 15 year old vines in the Confitero and Coronado vineyards on Pago Miraflores. The wine goes through “semicarbonic” fermentation in stainless steel tanks and then spent another seven months in deposit before being bottled in April, 2016 without filtering, clarifying or any addition of sulphur. The result is aromatic, delicate, light and refreshing – some reduction at first but then tiny strawberries, then the tingle and lightness of the semi-carbonic fermentation. A really good start.

Second we teed up the first of the sparkling wines –  Alba Ancestral 2015 – 11º. Sparkling wine made with palomino fino using the ancestral method. Fermented in plastic containers for 12 days, bottled before the fermentation completed so as to allow the formation of bubbles from the yeasts and sugars that remain. Racked for five months, disgorged by hand and dosed with the same wine (ie no added dosage). This again was delicious  – really light, very nice creamy aromatics and just a hint of sweetness. No  big structure or acidity but a nice, simple and enjoyable wine. You could drink litres and litres of this no bother.

We then accidentally went very large – we had intended to stick with the sparkling and hit the Ancestral Alegrías del Carrascal 2015 but by mistake we were served the (admittedly similar sounding) Alba Pago Carrascal Las Alegrías 2014 (no SO2, 13,3º) which was a fish of an altogether different kidney. From 50 year old vines of “listán sanluqueña” on the “las Alegrías” vineyard in Pago Carrascal (de Sanlucar), this was fermented and aged in a 650 litre chestnut bocoy that had held oloroso for over 80 years. In total 18 months of ageing, of which four  months were under flor. The guys at Alba describe this as a “natural and direct palo cortado” and it is a fascinating, complex wine. The notes of the barrel, and those 80 years of oloroso, were really something.

After the palo cortado we thought it was time for the Alba sobre tabla 2014 (bota 1, 12º). Not the first time I have had one of these Sobre Tabla wines  – fermented in stainless steel, then aged for 14 months in a 500 litre butt that had held manzanilla for over 50 years (they generally make two butts, bottled separately). Flor had not formed, although space was left for oxygen allowing for a “noble” oxidation and the wine gained half a degree of alcohol as a result of the concentration. It was quite magnificent – full of aroma and flavour, with salinity and structure, notes of cheese and herbs in amongst the ripe apples. World class and my wine of the day.

Alba Pago Miraflores Confitero 2015 (no SO2, 11,7º) is a still palomino wine from 35 year old listán vines in the El Confitero vineyard in Pago Miraflores (right next to the legendary Armijo de Gaspar Florido). This fermented in a 5000 litre fibre glass tank and was aged in stainless steel for four months. Indigenous yeasts, no sulphur or other additives, no filtering or clarification. This had a lot of raw yeast on the nose and was hard to get into at first but when it opened up there was a creaminess to it that grew on you. Not a great deal of structure but a nice bit of salinity that kept it fresh and balanced. (Frankly it was a big ask following the Sobre Tabla.)

Then we intended to go back to the bubbles with the Ancestral Alegrías del Carrascal 2015 (sin so2) another ancestral method wine from the Las Alegrías vineyard mentioned above. Fermented in a 1000 litre tank for two weeks before bottling with some residual yeasts and sugars, they disgorge these by hand to order – this one has around 8 months on the rack before disgorging. When it came to writing this account I was surprised not to have any notes or clear recollection until the restaurant called me to tell me we had left if behind (full). A new blogging low? (Have since tasted it – the TN is here if you are interested).

The bubbles we did have started with the Brut Nature 2013, a “traditional method” sparkling wine from a selection of albariza pagos in Sanlúcar. Fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, aged in the tank with some flor (which disappears little by little) for around five months. Then it is put in 16 litre demijons in which each develops different veils of flor for around 6 months (the makers say that each demijon tasted different when they came to putting together the assemblage). They were bottled in August 2014 and spent 15 months on the rack. Now this was a really class bottle of sparkling wine – thecomparisons  mentioned were with classic blancs de blancs – had just a bit more bite to it, crisper and more compact.

Finally, another traditional method sparkling wine but one with added devilment, the Brut Nature Sobre Tabla NV. Here they fermented the wine in the butt itself, it was aged for fifteen months of which some were under flor, then into the demijons for a further 8 months, again under flor. After that 20 months on the rack before disgorging by hand, dosage with the same wine. very, very little of this was made and it is a real pity because it is a really class, characterful, impressive sparkling wine: bite, fruit, cheese, herbs, salinity – really brilliant and right up there with the Sobre Tabla as one of my wines of the day.

Different pagos, vintages, different methods, techniques – lots of imagination and attention to detail and, most importantly, some really brilliant wines. The only problem is that there are so few of them – lots of 400 or 500 bottles or even fewer in some cases. A really uplifting day, no doubt about it – I really feel like I have a better handle on what these guys are doing and I can’t wait to see what comes out next.

A word for our fantastic hosts – Carlos and Elisa at La Buena Vida. They took cracking care of us through a long lunch and the eating was, as always here, exceptional: habitas con morcilla, patatas a la importancia con congrio, (outstanding) colmenillas and raya a la mantequilla negra con alcaparras fritas – really superb stuff – which we finished off with an intriguing little bottle of sweet, sparkling Rioja.

Oloroso el Galeon

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A delightful wine and a delightful pairing. We were having a spot of lunch in la Chula de Chamberi and this magically appeared in the centre of the table ar more or less the same time as a bevy of grilled razorclams (navajas a la plancha). Or maybe I should say hoved into view, because this is Oloroso el Galeon.

It is a 100% palomino, 20 year old oloroso by Sanchez Ayala in Sanlucar (better known for their Gabriela and Gabriela Oro manzanilla, not to mention the special bottlings of their wines by Equipo Navazos and Sacristia AB) and it was indeed delightful. It is, as you can see thanks to my much improved photography, a beautiful red amber colour – just look at the brilliant reflections in the glass. On the nose it had a nice salty caramel effect – very appetising indeed – then on the palate it lived up to that billing and them some: tasty, light on its feet, salty but with an almost delicate acidity and lovely balance.

Really good stuff – and an excellent pairing with the salty, juicy razorclams.

Don PX Convento Selección 1929

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Final wine of a fantastic lineup at Taberna Palo Cortado was this 1929 Don PX Convento Selección – an 87 year old single vintage wine no less. Unfortunately, it just didn’t quite match the spritely 85 year old that it followed, much less the youthful 61 year old before that.

In colour it was between a brownish black and a blackish brown. On the nose it was much sweeter, and while there were savoury notes they were not as spicey or as defined as on the earlier wines. On the palate it was extremely sweet – maybe the lack of spices made it seem much sweeter than the others – and although there was salinity it didn’t have the same balance.

Still a long, long, leathery, treacly monster, just not quite in the same class as its amazing brothers.

 

Don PX Convento Selección 1931

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The fourth wine of a quite unbelievable quality tasting at Taberna Palo Cortado was this 1931 Don PX Convento Selección – amazingly, an 85 year old single vintage pedro ximenez. Interestingly, this one was the first one that had the profile I expected – the most stereotypically “super old PX”.

It was black again – maybe a bit blacker than the last one but not that you could tell with the naked eye at that time of night. On the nose though this one was all pepper and spices, raisin of course but now raisin as dry as dust and heading to coffee and leather.

Then on the palate it was no disappointment, all those spices, big sweetness like black treacle, coffee like a coffee liqueur, then those dry wine flavours of wood, tobacco, leather, fading to a black treacle tail for what seems an eternity.

A night of superlatives, what can I say.

 

 

Fino 3 en rama del Puerto de Santa Maria

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The third of the 3 en rama Spring 2016 by Lustau, and this one really is cracking good. Again a fino with five years under flor, but this time aged in El Puerto De Santa Maria, which is said to have a slightly more moderate climate – perhaps better conditions for the flor year round -, more humidity and the benefit of sea air. 

I was looking forward to this since it was so good last year, and its almacenista cousin is also brilliant stuff, and this has comfortably lived up to the hype. 

The colour is a rich gold with just a hint of green to it. The nose is yeasty and has apples – not green but old yellow ones. In addition, and most distinctively, it has an amazing sea air component. Not just salty air and iodine but “rock pools”: wet seaweed left behind at the water’s edge. 

On the palate too it has a lovely full flavour to it. Nuts, granary bread, and vegetables, celery and rocket, then a salty fresh finish. 

A really class fino. Can’t decide if it is better six weeks or nine months old – either way I don’t think I would have it on the rack for nine months!