17/20

Manzanilla Solear en Rama, Autumn 2016

~ sharquillo ~ 2 Comments

A new instalment of this incomparable saga of seasonal sacas, with a new, streamlined and elegant label featuring the Little Bustard (Sison Comun). Very attractive too (even if the change in label wrecks the aesthetic of the family photo).

The contents are absolutely fantastic. I love the yeasty, salty haybale aromas, the ripe apple and bitter salad flavours and, above all, the spicey, saline finish. Above all the sensations in the mouth are astounding: first a fullness and creamy buttery texture, then the flavours, then the mouth is stinging for an age, then fresh and watering.

Another classic.

Palo Cortado Viña Zarzuela (el Marginal 2016)

~ sharquillo ~ Leave a comment

The “Marginal” is a special bottling by the guys at La Tintoreria of a small quantity of a different wine each year, distributed to a few very select restaurants. I was able to try this one thanks to Lakasa, who have it on their top class wine list by the glass even. As yet I don’t know much about it (except how it looks, smells and tastes) although there was talk of it being a non-fortified, old school palo cortado with some old school varietals.

As you can see it looks great, crystal clear and a slightly chestnut amber colour. The nose has a very nice sweetness – ginger and amaretti, a little bit of sawdust.  Then on the palate it is very pleasant, has a nice bite and while dry has gingery/sweet-spice flavours, a bit of bitter almond, but not excessively bitter or astringent – a nice balance and a long, sweet-spice finish. (I would swear, in fact, that it has some sugar, residual or otherwise, but I might be wrong.)

Very nice little bottle – worth trying if you get the chance. 

Manzanilla pasada Blanquito

~ sharquillo ~ 2 Comments

A classic manzanilla pasada and one that seems different every time I try it (and there have been a few already. At times I find it full of green apples, other times ripe, almost overripe apples,  other times the apples are under haybales. This was from the August 2016 saca (I really need to start taking better note of these things).

Anyway, this time the apples are deep in bitter spices and spikey salinity. It has a much more vertical, Sanlucar feel to it than sometimes, but still has that fruit underneath. Really long and almost stinging finish, leaving your mouth smarting and watering in equal measure.

Oloroso Tradicion, Trafalgar Bicentenary Edition, 2007

~ sharquillo ~ 1 Comment

Enjoyed with a terrific lunch at Taberna Verdejo with Bodegas Tradicion and what Englishman could begrudge this – a beautiful label to start with, as Nelson’s ships traverse the hispano-french line prior to sharing them out (only for the storm to carry away the prizes).

A magnificent start – you can see the colour and the nose was as bright as brandy, a lovely fine nose. Then on the palate an acid, buzzy swell of distilled, brandy like caramel and bitter flavours and a long finish. The time in the bottle was evident a touch of bitterness on the nose and maybe half an ounce less of lift on the palate,  but a top class oloroso no doubt.

England expects that every man will do their duty.

Manzanilla Zuleta, Spring 2010

~ sharquillo ~ 2 Comments

A gift from my good friend Guille – one of the most generous guys around, whether with his wine or his time – this is a bit of a treat during a week of hard labour. And it is a lovely sup too – has that chalky/metallic, citrussy flavour that seems to be accentuated and broadened out by a slight oxidation.

Of course I now realize I should have lined up a new bottle of the same so I could tell the differences – must see if I can rectify that in the next couple of days. For the time being there is certainly nothing wrong with this – very nice indeed.

Manzanilla la Kika

~ sharquillo ~ Leave a comment

Not entirely by accident things are coming along in bunches. Here we have la Kika, the manzanilla flagship of the Yuste fleet, with its touching homage to the owner’s mother and it’s outrageously unrackable bottle – not to mention the stopper!

More importantly this is a cracking wine – and a close relation of the Manzanilla Sacristia AB of recent releases (of which I had a glass of the Spring 2016 just last week and the Spring 2015 yesterday), which I believe are taken from the first or second criaderas.

A manzanilla from palomino sourced in Balbaina that has passed through nine classes located in the bodegas of the group in Miraflores, Los Angeles, and Santa Ana. At the end the average age under flor is about 10 years and it is bottled unfiltered and by hand .

I am a bit surprised at how bright and fresh it is compared to my memories of other bottles. It is a bright, sharp gold and has more green apple fruit than I recall. Nice seaside and esparto grass aromas and raw almonds, then similar richness on the palate – very smooth and creamy, punchy yeastiness and a bittersweet, mineral finish: really zingy and fresh. Really quite different to what I expected – I remembered it as more evolved and cheesy – maybe a variation due to spring and winter sacas or time in the bottle? (Wish I had taken better notes.)

Anyway, available by the glass at Territorio Era but hurry – the bottles are small weeny and I am not sure how many they have.

Palo Cortado Juan Piñero

~ sharquillo ~ 2 Comments

A palo cortado that started life as a manzanilla but showed signs of rebellion, was plucked from the criaderas early and set to rust in the salty Sanlucar sunshine. The naughty nephew of the Maruja, if you will.

This is an extremely fine palo cortado in the Sanlucar mould – one of the easiest wines to drink and enjoy you could come across. I keep pouring a glass with the intention of savouring and getting to grips and then I look up and find an empty glass. It is the kind of wine any restaurant should have on its wine list, easy drinking, good with anything, thirst inducing and, most of all, mood improving.

OK forcing myself to concentrate: lighter, yellow of orange amber colour, sweet and enticing, slightly alcoholic nose, then salty and tasty palate. One of these salty caramel numbers that are all the go. Not over complex but long and, as I said before, thirst inducing and mood improving.

What an absolute beauty of a wine.

Manzanilla Sacristia AB, Spring 2016

~ sharquillo ~ 1 Comment

My last glass of wine of an enjoyable lunch – this one at the bar of Territorio ERA and a saca that I hadn’t tried before. A really nice, elegant manzanilla no doubt – a nice bright entry, sapidity, flavour and nicely integtrated salinity, even a bit of creaminess, and a long mouthwatering finish.  I will be honest I was in a pretty good mood when I had it – may have to try it again with my game face on.

Palo Cortado Tradicion 

~ sharquillo ~ 1 Comment

After a great night in the company of Tradicion on Monday this is a glass of what they do best – a brilliantly edgy VORS palo cortado (slightly fuller note available of a much older bottle in January).

Beautiful, drink me colour to it. Nose has a touch of diesel with burnt citrus and roasted nuts, on the palate it has acidity and zingy salinity and an almost fruity but dry hazelnut, then a slightly more bitter, warm, buzzy and superlong finish.

Wow the acidity though – a wine that goes down fighting.

Alba Sobre Tabla 2014

~ sharquillo ~ Leave a comment

When looking around for a bottle to open tonight I read this fantastic interview (in Spanish) by the always excellent Spanish Wine Lover of Fernando Angulo, the guy behind Alba Viticultores.

I couldn’t agree more with the article – which talks about how not enough recognition is given to the growers in the region – except in one respect: it is unrealistic to expect the growers to get their just desserts until the winemakers, guys like Fernando who let the terroir express itself, get their recognition. So anyway I opened the only remaining bottle of his wine that I had and I am very glad I did.

These Sobre Tablas are 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). They haven’t been under flor, although space is left for a little oxidation and concentration.

I love the salinity of it and the flavours on top, a little acidity and ripe apples –  a really nice acidic cider – with a tingling, saline and mineral finish. The last time I had it it was my wine of a big day and I am enjoying it once again. I can understand the comparisons with top white burgundies – that oxidation and salinity. Maybe the fruit isn’t quite as expressive in between but it does a herbal character, leafy character that its cousins to the North lack. Their loss!

So all power to Fernando and other winemakers like him!