On a visit to Surtopia and despite their having no fewer than 19 manzanillas y finos por copa, the star of the show is this, the 11540 – a special bottling for the house. It is a very smooth, well integrated manzanilla – more fruit than hay bales, very pleasant rich mouthfeel and very nicely integrated salinity. Was absolutely cracking with this tortillita de camarones.
The sort of thing that really brightens up a difficult day. (Seen here in a v fancy Riedel sherry glass – not sure I am convinced and am half tempted to ask for a proper glass but will not cause trouble.)
You can see the colour – it is a clear slightly watery yellow gold – this rates as pasada but it is not as dark as the Sacristia AB or maybe even the Equipo Navazos Bota 55.
Does not seem as fragrant as you might expect (the stemware?) – in fact it is really quite quiet – and again more fresh grass than the dry grass you might expect from a pasada.
Not sure though whether to blame the glass 100% because although it is salty and intense like a pasada – a briney, zingy, green olive flavour – it is not quite as expressive as those others mentioned.
Overall you would say a very nice manzanilla – maybe if I hadnt expected the “pasada en rama” I wouldn’t be grumbling. (To be fair those three words are definitely in the fine print of the funky label.)
Finishing off the month in style here with one of the manzanilla en ramas selected by Antonio Barbadillo Mateos – this one is the first edition from 2014.
It is dark in colour for a manzanilla – a real old gold at least a shade darker than the Navazos effort. On the nose you would say refined rather than fragrant. To me it has a pronounced aroma of dried grass (especially when you come back to it) and maybe just a hint of old fruit (apples that have been stored away). Then in the mouth it is very slightly oily in feel and saline and intense in flavour. If you like your manzanillas mature this is definitely for you.
Nearly a week since it was opened and still hard to fault this. If anything it seems to have gained in fruity flavours – making it seem slightly more full bodied – and the salinity seems even more integrated.
A lovely light but fruity manzanilla from Bodegas Baron.
It is a pale pale yellow in colour – very much the epitome of sunshine in a glass. It has a very interesting nose too – between fruit and fresh sweet herbs maybe (I had just had a more classic manzanillla and the difference was marked). It is very fine in the mouth and had just enough salinity – in fact less than I expected. The fruit, herbs were not quite as prominent on the tongue but It is excellent and was a really refreshing way to start a meal.
Credit where it is due, this effort from Equipo Navazos is top drawer and a great pick me up after a tough day: manzanilla Monday indeed.
It is a pale straw colour and very fragrant (the first time I had it in fact I sniffed it out it from my host’s glass across the room) with aromas of beach grass and the drying sand of the dunes, with a bit of fruity alcohol – a calvados or something – underneath
On the palate it is silky smooth and oily, and it is fresh but full of salty, mineral and dried herb flavours. Delicious stuff.
A great pairing shout from some great friends. The briney, dry, savoury nature of the manzanilla en rama really pairs well with the soy sauce, spices, seafood and rice of the sushi.
Here we have the Goya manzanilla en rama – a slightly older manzanilla with a bit of body to it (“reposada” rather than pasada).
2014 on the left, 2009 on the right – just look at the colours. It is immediate on the nose, and on the palate too.
We started with the 2014 and it was light, fresh, dry, fruity, saline and refreshing – a lovely drop (15/20). Next stop was the 2009 and the oxidation was really interesting. The fruitiness had become nuttier – it had maybe lost a little of its freshness while gaining a bit of power (16/20). Last, the 2011, which unsurprisingly had gained some complexity while maintaining more of the fruit and lightness of the 2014 (16/20).
Not sure which is “better” but they really are different wines and it was an excellent experiment (made possible, it must be said, by the guys at Coalla Gourmet who somehow got their hands on the 2009 and 2011). My own favourite was the 2011 – maybe I will have to keep some en ramas after all.
Sunshine, tapas on the way …
It is wintry weather outside so what could be better than this winter edition manzanilla en rama from Barbadillo.
Saca literally means “taking out”, as in when the wine was taken from the solera and bottled (and is incidentally the origin of the old english word “sack” for sherry – do not buy the stuff that comes in sack cloth in the airport). Barbadillo produce a saca for each season – each with an attractive feathered friend on the label – this one being winter 2014.
Just look at the beautiful deep gold colour of this. It is around 8 years under flor and looks to have grown in character. In the nose it has loads of yeasty unbaked bread and more dried herbs than fruit, maybe a bit of citrus in the background but not much by the way of the grapey apple of the mosto. In the mouth it is big and velvety, has an almost oily mouthfeel, and in flavour terms it is dry and intensely herby – again maybe a bit of grapefruity citrus. Not too salty – to be honest almost seems like a sherry rather than a manzanilla. It is immensely long.
All in all a superb thing to have to hand for a pre dinner snifter. And again, 10 euros for a (half) bottle.
undertheflor.com 