Before and now, in the new stage, the winery has deserved to be included, twice in the last ten years among the 100 Best Wineries in the World, in 2011 and 2017.

Dry fortified wine aged in American Oak barrels under a layer of “flor” yeast.

The process of making Fino starts with the must being fortified up to 15% alcohol, helping the “velo de flor” (flor yeast layer) develop. This natural layer of yeast will slowly grow until it covers the whole surface of the wine; thus avoiding the wine having contact with the air during its ageing and therefore preventing oxidation. This provides some very special characteristics to the wine, among them its pale colour. The flor is formed from a very particular yeast that throughout the centuries has evolved to survive due to the oxygen and nutrients in the wine.

The biological ageing of the Fino wine will last for about four years in American oak butts of 500 litres through the traditional system of criaderas and soleras, then finally it gets to the bottling of the wine.

Tasting Notes by El Maestro Sierra:

To the senses: dry, pungent and delicate.
For El Maestro, it goes with… a good Iberico Ham.

Tasting Notes by SherryNotes (Ruben Luyten):

Nose: a rich nose with intense flor. Cashew and walnuts, with hints of toasted pumpkin seeds. Some ripe apple. Briney olive juice. Light rancio notes as well, even a few cheesy hints which work well here. It’s a deeper, slightly more oxidative style than what you get from other bodegas. Maybe the slightly older bottle helped to intensify its character.

Mouth: again very flor-influenced, with a solid bitter side and some savoury notes, but low acidity and moderate salinity. Traces of ripe fruits give it a silky, creamy character. Thyme. Almonds. Medium finish, not the longest but highly balanced.

Summary: A really nice, assertive Fino, with more weight and more flavours than most others. A really characterful Fino that is a great ambassador for this artisan bodega.

Score: 3.5 out of 5 - Good