Founded in 1729 by Diego de Alvear y Escalera, Alvear is the oldest family winery in Andalusia and the second-oldest in Spain. The estate has passed ownership from parent to child for eight generations, maintaining a consistent lineage across time. Farming the famed Montilla vineyard, Alvear is known for its mastery of the Pedro Ximénez grape, with some barrels on site aging over 200 years. With this legacy supporting it, Alvear’s ongoing ambition is to preserve this rich tradition while innovating for the years to come.
KEY FACTS
CLIMATE: Semi-continental Mediterranean, with warm, long, dry summers and mild winters; average growing season temperature 70°F (21°C)
ELEVATION: 820 - 1,476 feet (up to 650 m)
SOILS: Albariza: chalky soil with high limestone content, mixed with sand and clay
CLASS: DO Montilla-Moriles
HISTORY
Alvear was founded by Diego de Alvear y Escalera in 1729, and is the second-oldest Spanish winery still in operation. In the 19th century, Sabina Alvear Ward discovered the potential of the Pedro Ximénez grape, Alvear’s calling card to this day. Also early in 19th century, cellar master Capataz Billanueva began marking the best casks with his initials “C.B.”, which gave rise to the house style. The Fino C.B. label is the fifth-oldest in Spain still in use and is made from the best P.X. musts. Now in its eighth generation, Alvear continues to produce wines reflective of this long history.
VINE: 427 acres (173 ha) across 21 plots are GPE-approved
KEY VARIETALS: Pedro Ximénez
ECO: Integrated viticulture
INNOVATE: Searching for new expressions of the Pedro Ximénez grape, while exploring the roots and particularities of Montilla vineyards
THE FAMILY & TEAM
General Director Luis Giménez Alvear, representing the eighthgenerationoftheAlvearfamily,leadsthewinery. They are backed by Bernardo Lucena, who has been theheadwinemakerforlast30yearsandwhoisoneof the foremost experts in biological aging in the region. Together they developed legendary wines like Palo Cortado Abuelo Diego, Amontillado Solera Fundación and PX Solera 1830. Since 2019, Alvear winery counts onarefreshingcollaborationwithSanlucanWinemaker RamiroIbáñez.HeisanexpertintheterrainofSierrade Montilla, and participates in the creation of 3 Miradas rangeofdrywhitewines.
waste in the vineyard and cellar. They have a recycling program on site, and, rather than letting byproducts of vinification go to waste, they sell off lees and skins. Alvear is also in the process of obtaining the “Wineries for Climate Protection” certificate, which is granted by a collaborative group of wineries committed to reducing carbon emissions across the wine industry. Alvear exclusively practices integrated viticulture, and commits to a minimum use of herbicides and pesticides, givingprioritytoonlythemostsustainableand ecologicalpractices.
TERROIR
The core of Alvear’s terroir is the Montilla vineyard. Montilla features albariza soil, which is mainly chalky, high in limestone, porous and poor in organic material. Whiletypicallylowerinyield,thegrapesaresubjecttoa longer and more balanced ripening process. Ruedos are patches of red earth with iron salts, where the grapesmatureearlier.
From the viticultural point of view, Montilla is classified among the warmest in the world during the vegetative cycle. There is little rainfall and high insolation, which affects the development of the vine and its phenological cycle. The Albariza soil’s capacity to retain moisture helps mitigate the lack of precipitation, giving thewinesarefreshingmineral-salinecharacter.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
MONTILLA VINEYARD The Montilla Vineyard is one of the factors that makes Alvear singular. The Pago de Benavente and Pago de Riofrío are at the highest elevations in the area (2,000 ft.; 610 m) and their parcels have many different orientations. They are planted with head-trained old-vine Pedro Ximénez and short-pruned with a traditional technique called a la ciega.Thisencourageslowcanopygrowthtoshadethegroundaroundthevine.
PEDRO XIMÉNEZ The calling-card of the estate, the Pedro Ximénez grape is used to produce Alvear’s wine. Styles range from dry still wines, finos, amontillados, olorosos and sweet wines. The grape has thin skins and high sugar content, permittingthevinificationofrichsweetwines,andfinosandamontilladoswithoutfortification.
AGING UNDER A VELO DE FLOR For their fino and amontillado wines, Alvear ages the wine under velo de flor, literally “veil of yeast.” This is a natural biological process whereby a cream-colored cap of yeast indigenous to the region develops on the top of the wine. Alvear’s velo is made of native yeasts, S. Montuliensis and others, also considered an integral part of theterroiroftheirwines.The velo isevenusedintheirdrywhitewinerange,3Miradas,toimpartlight,yeastyaromas.
To make sweet P.X. wines, the fruit is exposed to the sun after harvest. Grape clusters are spread over plaited grass mats and slowly sun-dried until they become raisins. A dense must is then taken from the crushed raisins, and the subsequent winemaking and aging processes give rise to the region’s much-loved sweet wines.
How is the terroir reflected in the wines of Alvear?
Expression of albariza soil:salinity/savorinessand "mineral"freshness,andfiner,verticalwines
Expression of the velo de flor (yeast veil): strainsof nativeyeasts,S.Montuliensisandothers,whichare partoftheterroirandprovideverytypicalaromas, helpingtocreatethewinerystyle–elegantwines, withoutstrong,pungentaromas,alwaysstrivingfor freshness,moreaniseandcitrusaromasofthePX, andtypicalaromasoftheyeastveil.
Singularities of the Winery
Alvear is the oldest winery in Andalusia, and the second-oldest still in operation in Spain. With almost 300 years of history, the winery has treasures such as a solera with an average age of 100 years. They were also the first to champion the versatility of the Pedro Ximénezgrape,stillahallmarkofthehouse.
Why is Alvear a Grandes Pagos de España winery?
As pioneers of both the Montilla region and the Pedro Ximénez grape, Alvear aims for all of their wines to carry the imprint of their terroir. This and their passion for innovation led them to join other wineries in the pursuit of single-estate quality in GPE.
ALVEAR PORTFOLIO:
3 Miradas Range (Vino de Pueblo, Cerro Franco, Cerro Macho) P.X. de añada, Fino Capataz, Fino en Rama Carlos VII, Oloroso Asunción, Oloroso Catón, Palo Cortado Nº7, P.X. Solera 1927
3 Miradas Vino de Pueblo
DO Montilla - Moriles
Varieties
100% Pedro Ximénez
Vinification
Fermented in concrete jars and rested up to 8 months with yeast veil
Good to Know
Old-vine fruit from pagos Río Frío Alto and Benavente
P.X. de Añada
DO Montilla - Moriles
Varieties
100% Pedro Ximénez
Vinification
Sun-dried grapes pressed in traditional vertical press, fortified and rested in concrete cones for at least a year
Good to Know
Made with grapes from a single vintage
ALVEAR
Av. de María Auxiliadora, 1 14550 Montilla Córdoba
Contact: Alvaro Ruiz
export@alvear.es
One of the southernmost wineries in Europe, Cortijo los Aguilares sits in the hills of southern Spain. A classic Andalusian farmhouse with numerous archaeological remains from Roman and Moorish times imbues the site with a long regional history. After successfully recovering area vineyards that were dormant for almost 100 years after phylloxera arrived, the estate now focuses on achieving the most singular expression their terroir.
KEY FACTS
CLIMATE: Mediterranean mountain: concentrated rainfall between November and April, including intense rains known as the cold drop phenomenon; average temperature of 63°F (17°C)
ELEVATION: 2,950 feet(900m)
SOILS: Calcareous clay, with some limestone, sand and quartz
The area of Ronda has been linked to vine cultivation forcenturies. In fact, it is what the region was known for until the arrival of phylloxera at the end of the 19th century. Grape-growingresumed 100 years later when some intrepid entrepreneurs decided tobring back the tradition and replant vines in the area. Among themwas the Itarte family, following in the footsteps of Alfonso de Hohenlohe, whose vineyards they have cultivated since 2014.
THE FAMILY
Cortijo los Aguilares was founded by J.A. Itarte in the 1990s. For 20 years, the estate has employed local families to work in the vineyards and cellar. The emphasis on family helps maintain continuity and commitment to the estate, and helps fulfill the mission to involve the whole community in reviving the winemakingtraditioninthearea.
Technical Director Bibi García studied chemistry with the idea of becomingaperfumer.Shefellinlovewithwinealso,andearneda master’s degree in viticulture and enology. After work experience in Priorat and Chile, Bibi joined the winery in 2007 overseeing bothviticultureandwinemaking.
carefully stewards the 2,000-acre (809 ha) estate that borders the Sierra de las Nieves National Park. Many additional crops and livestock are raised on the estate, ensuring biodiversity.
Additionally, they minimize their ecological impact by using hybrid vehicles on the estate, renovating buildings to increase energy efficiency, and preparing a future project to generate solar energy at the winery.
Winery founder Jose Antonio Itartewas a lover of Burgundy wines, and decided to grow Pinot Noir in spite of being located much further south than recommended for the variety. Between the high altitude and efforts of the vineyard team, the Pinot Noir is ableto thrive and provide a very unique expression of their terroir.
TERROIR
The Serranía de Ronda is a meseta at 2,300 to 3,280feet(700to1,000m)ofaltitudebetween the two mountain ranges of de las Nieves and Grazalema. The microclimate is influenced by the altitude and its proximity to the Mediterranean and Atlantic. Abundant rainfall between November and April mitigates the dry summers, while wide diurnal temperature shifts helpasteadyripeningprocess.
Soils are varied among the four parcels, but clay, calcareous clay and limestone predominate. Different orientations of the parcels also play a role in ripening times. Each parcel is matched withthevarietiesthatbestgrowthere.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
FOUR PARCELS Grape varieties are matched to the conditions of the estate’s four parcels. In El Olivar, late-maturing Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot are paired in clay and limestone soils. On a steep slope at 2,950 feet (900 m) is the El Encinar parcel; a 500-year-old old Holm oak (encina) stands watch over Tempranillo and Pinot Noir planted in a northwest orientation on clay and limestone soils. Pelele is a parcel with very diverse soils of sand, clay and limestone; goblet-trained Garnacha, Petit Verdot and Graciano vines are planted in a low density so they struggle less for water resources.ElCaleroisnamedforthehighlimestonecontentofitssoil,andisplantedwithPetitVerdot,SyrahandMerlot.
VINIFICATION Depending on the grape and expression desired, the decision is made to completely or partially destem bunches. They are fed by gravity into stainless steel or concrete tanks with an emphasis on extracting the aromatics of the fruit.Parcelsarevinifiedseparatelytocapturethepersonalityeachvarietal.
AGING Aging takes place nearly exclusively in French oak barrels that are used for four or five years, imparting both tannic structureanddepth.Aconcreteeggwasaddedin2013,andsince2015,thewineryhasusedclayamphoratoagewines.
How is the terroir reflected in the wines of Cortijo los Aguilares?
Thevineyardisaround 2,950 feet (900 m) abovesea level. The ripe and aromatic fruit is balanced by balsamic notes derived from the altitude and freshness from the cool nights. Often the nose is ripe and opulent, while the palate is fresh and more vertical.
The minerality in all the wines produced is also part of their character, and could be a result of the soil complexity, as well as the Mediterranean and Atlantic influences. Aromatic plants that surround the vineyards are also reflected in the aromas of the wine.
CORTIJO LOS AGUILARES PORTFOLIO:
Tadeo, Tadeo Tinaja, Pago el Espino y Pinot Noir
Tadeo
DO Sierras de Málaga
Variety
100% Petit Verdot
Vinification
Singularities of the Winery
Cortijo los Aguilares is one the southernmost wineries in Europe, and uses all the advantages of their terroir to produce fresh, lively wines. They have recovered the viticultural tradition of the area after almost 100 yearsofinactivityafterphylloxeraarrived.
Why is Cortijo los Aguilares a Grandes Pagos de España winery?
Cortijo los Aguilares was proud to join GPE in 2015, after many years of working to create wines that reflect the rich terroir of their estate. Most of all, they value the interchange of ideas at GPE winemaker meetings, and the opportunity to show their wines alongwiththoseofothermembers.
Grapes are destemmed, fermented. Malolactic and 14 months aging in 225 and 300 L French oak barrels
Good to Know
All grapes from pago El Calero
Pinot Noir CLA
DO Sierras de Málaga
Variety
100% Pinot Noir
Vinification
Partially de-stemmed, fermented. Malolactic and aging in oak and ovoid concrete tanks
Good to Know
Grapes picked at two different dates in order to get a balanced maturity
CORTIJO LOS AGUILARES
Ctra. Ronda a Campillos, km. 35 29400 Puente de la Ventilla Ronda
CORTIJOLOSAGUILARES.COM @CORTIJOLOSAGUILARES
Contact: Bibi García bodega@cortijolosaguilares.com
Located in Arcos de la Frontera in Cádiz and framed by Sierra Valleja and the Guadalete River, Finca Moncloa is an estate committed to the preserving viticultural and oenological traditions of the region. This begins with the native Tintilla de Rota varietal, which is featured in their red blends and as a monovarietal sweet wine. Drawing on hundreds of years of the González Byass legacy in the area, Finca Moncloa seeks to carry on the tradition of elegant, expressive red wines in Cádiz.
KEY FACTS
CLIMATE: Temperate Mediterranean with dry, hot summers. Alternating winds play a key role during growing season. Average temperature of 73° F (22°C)
The production of red wine in Cádiz can be traced as far back as the 14th century. In 1972, the González Byass family began experimenting with different red varieties in the area. They moved from experimentation to production 30 years later when they purchased 112 acres (45 ha) in Arcos de la Frontera to recover the tradition ofmaking wine with Tintilla de Rota.
GOOD TO KNOW:
In the 19th century, González Byass became the official supplier of sweet wine of the Royal House in the time of Queen Isabel II of Spain with their Tintilla de Rota.
THE TEAM
Winemaker Jorge Balón started his career helping to recover red Andalusian grape varieties. He went on to make reds and whites in other areas, but always had the hope that a position that required his expertise would bring him back home to Andalusia. At Finca Moncloa he isdevelopinghisdream.
Winemaker: JorgeBalón
SUSTAINABLE VALUES
Finca Moncloa applies integrated production throughout the vineyard and collects rainwater for irrigation in a pond on site. In the cellar, they employ water and energy saving measures, including the installation of photovoltaic panels and reduction of waste.
TERROIR
The estate is located near a large lake and protectedbythefoothillsoftheVallejamountains.
The vineyards have gentle slopes and hillsides with different orientations and soils, where three different microclimates have been identified. The prevailing east and west winds play a key role, as the east winds that blow during the growing season bring cooler, humid air from the Atlantic tobufferthehot,drysummerdays.
The soil of Finca Moncloa varies but is generally formed from sedimentary rocks: limestones and marls with a high clay content. They are known for being poor in organic material, having a basic pH and not draining well, but, with the appropriate techniques, ideal for growing high-qualitygrapes.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
TINTILLA DE ROTA Aredgrapenative,TintilladeRotawasalreadyusedinwinesbyGonzálezByassin1878.Inthespiritof innovation, the González family decided to plant this little-known grape as a bid to return the traditions of former generations. When blended, Tintilla de Rota brings intensity to a dry wine and also produces a delicious sweet wine when harvestedlate.
VINIFICATION Finca Moncloa vinifies with the aim of producing wines with high color intensity and the perfect balance between fruit and oak. They practice a pre-fermentative maceration to extract aromas from the skins, and ferment at low temperatures to maintain the primary fruit aromas. The process is completed with aging in new or second use American and French oak barrels, followed by aging in bottle. The results are full-bodied wines with spice and balsamic aromas and persistent,smoothtannins.
SWEET WINE RETURNS In 2009, Finca Moncloa Tintilla de Rota sweet wine was released. This restored a nearly extinct product which had found great success from the 17th to the first half of the 20th century. Mutage is used to turn the dried, lateharvestgrapesintowine,anditgainsfurthercomplexityfrombarrelaging.Thisisthesameprocessusedhistoricallyto craftthiswine.Thecollectedbuncheslieonespartomatsaccordingtotheancestral "soleo"process.
Tintilla de Rota is a late-ripening grape with small berries and bunches and few seeds. Distantly related to the Graciano variety, its use in Cádiz was well-documented in the 17th century. It fell out of favor partially due to its low yields, until efforts by González Byass and others began to recover it in the 20th century.
gives very local and traditional character to the qualityredwinesproducedhere.
Why is Finca Moncloa a Grandes Pagos de España winery?
The uniqueness of the Tintilla de Rota grape variety, its history and the estate's location make Finca arenotcharacteristicsexpectedinawineof Cádiz,whichdemonstratesthespecialenclave wheretheFincaislocated.
Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Tintilla de Rota and Cabernet Franc
Vinification
Aged 12 months in French and American oak barrels
Good to Know Vegan-friendly
Tintilla De Rota Dulce
VdT de Cádiz
Varieties
100% Tintilla de Rota
Vinification
Late harvest grapes dried in the sun by the old “soleo” system. 20 months aging in French oak barrels
Good to Know
Numbered bottles; vegan-friendly
FINCA MONCLOA
C/Manuel Maria González 12 11403 Jerez de la Frontera Cádiz
FINCAMONCLOA.COM @FINCAMONCLOA
Contact: Marta Molina Ballesteros mmolina@gonzalezbyass.es
Palacio Quemado is located in “La Raya,” an area of Extremadura on the border of Portugal where the history, culture and traditions are a unique combination of both countries. This blend is reflected in their wines, as Palacio Quemado cultivates varieties typical of the neighboring Alentejo in an extraordinary Spanish pago. With a history that stretches back to the 18th century and a forward-thinking program that looks far into the future, Palacio Quemado is rightfully known for single-vineyard, terroir-driven wines expressive of La Raya.
KEY FACTS
CLIMATE: Semi-continental: average annual temperature 61 °F (16 °C)
ECO: Integrated viticulture techniques such as tilling to minimize weeds
INNOVATE: Research on varieties and clones
HISTORY
With almost three centuries of winemaking in Montilla-Moriles, the Alvear family was lookingfor a project to make red wines. Manuel and Antonio Losada Serra wanted to fulfill their father’s dreamof creating a fine wine project in the Tierra de Barros subzone. Through a series of coincidental meetings,the two families joined forces to achieve their mutual goals in 2000. The Palacio Quemado estate datesback to the late 18th century, and more recently, was planted with cereals and legumes. The families recognized the potential for viticulture and began planting vineyards.
Palacio Quemado is in the process of obtaining a “Wineries for Climate Protection” certification, which is granted by a collaborative group of wineries committed to reducing carbon emissions across the wine industry. They also exclusively practice integrated agriculture, keeping use of herbicides and pesticides to a minimum and employing only organic manure to fertilize the vineyard. In winter, theestate’slandisusedforsheepgrazing.
THE FAMILY & TEAM
Luis Giménez Alvear, General Director of the Alvear Group, leads the team at Palacio Quemado. They are excited to show the potential and quality of the estate’s terroir and the local varietiesofLaRaya.
Gemma Verdaguer is the manager of Palacio Quemado, with more than 20 years of experience. Soraya Rodrigues, the winemaker, is a native of Extremadura with experience in La Rioja. Luis Lopes is a Portuguese consulting winemaker who specializes in Portuguese varieties. His experience includes workingwithwinemakerslikeAntonioMadeiraandLuisPato.
Luis Giménez Alvear, 8th generation of the Alvear family
TERROIR
Palacio Quemado is located in the Tierra de Barros subzone of Extremadura. It has a hot, semi-continental climate with influence from the Atlantic Ocean. Rains are concentrated in the winter; summers are quite dry.
The landscape of the estate is complemented by large areas of Mediterranean forest, where cork and holm oaks predominate. The vineyard sits in a Special Protection Area for birds and is home to eagles, kestrels and waterfowl.
There are diverse soil types across the estate’s 21 plots, including red clay, limestone and sand. The red soils are luvisol, which develops on gentle slopes or plains, and in climates where there are well-defined dry and wet seasons. The term derives from the Latin word lure, which means to wash, referring to the washing of clay from the upper layers to where it accumulates in the lower layers. Its distinct red color comes from iron oxides.
PalacioQuemadoisintentonmakingmemorableandexcitingwineswiththecharacterofExtremaduraandLaRaya.Many of the traditional varieties they planted in 1999 ripen later, and resist heat and drought. Trincadeira Preta, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Alfrocheiro and Arinto are able to maintain freshness and good acidity without overripe flavors. Grapes like Trincadeira Preta actually need the heat and sun to achieve proper maturity, while their natural acidity is an important part ofafinalblend.
EXPRESSIVE WINEMAKING
Palacio Quemado understands that quality wines are born of viticulture and vinification: only when varieties are well-adapted to the terroir and when the winemaker makes use of the best oenological practices are the wines truly expressive.Inthisspirit,PalacioQuemadotailorswinemakingtomakemoreclassiccrianzaandreserva-stylewinesagedin American and French oak barrels. However, in signature wines like La Raya and La Zarcita, whole clusters are vinified in concreteandfoudrestopreservethefruit-forwardcharacterandroundoutthetanninswithoutoakinfluence.Eachofthese vessels imparts a different character, texture and personality to the fruit, allowing the estate to give specific identities to everywine.
Palacio Quemado continues to research the best clones for the microclimate of the estate, focusing on several clones of Tempranillo and Garnacha Tintorera. The main focus will be on selecting for resistance to hydric stress, a major issue in Extremadura recently.
How is the terroir reflected in the wines of Palacio Quemado?
Hot summers and light Atlantic influence give the wines a profile of ripe fruit and silky tannins. Using traditional regional varieties, the nose of their wines is lively and bright, avoiding the raisin and dried fig aromas of overripe grapes. The dry summers also reduce vine diseases, keeping sulfur treatments to a bareminimum.
The clay-rich soils are important in such a hot climate for retention of winter rains, which supports a steady ripening process. The calcareous stones or calcareous bedrock (depending on the plot) help to maintainacidityandaddfreshnesstothewines.
Singularities of the Winery
The history of the Palacio Quemado is one of innovation and differentiation through a broader perspective of the land, looking for quality references such as the viticulture of the Alentejo rooted in the terroir of Tierra de Barros and La Raya. The research into the cultivation and vinification of Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Arinto (and others) is creatingauniqueexpressionofthepago.
Why is Palacio Quemado a Grandes Pagos de España winery?
Palacio Quemado´s wines embody the character of La Raya, where Alentejo meets Extremadura. They joined GPE to collaborate with other wineries to lead in the pursuit of terroir-driven, single-vineyard wines. They are currentlytheonlyGPEwineryinExtremadura.
PORTFOLIO
PALACIO QUEMADO:
La Raya, La Zarcita, Crianza, Reserva, Vendimia Seleccionada
PALACIO QUEMADO
As one of the only houses in Spain producing single-vineyard sherry and with a pedigree stretching back to the 13th century, Valdespino’s reputation for unique, complex sherry is well-earned. Cultivating the famed Macharnudo vineyard – a high altitude plot of pure albariza soil – Valdespino’s sherry is deeply expressive of place and history. Now a part of the esteemed Grupo Estévez (Marqués del Real Tesoro and La Guita), Valdespino is rightly known as the high watermark for sherry production.
KEY FACTS
CLIMATE: Warm southern climate with Atlantic influence; average annual temperature 68°F (18°C)
Valdespino is one of the oldest wineries in Jerez, with an origin that reaches back to the 13th century. For his service in the Reconquest of Jerez de la Frontera, Don Alfonso Valdespino was granted lands and estates where he began cultivating vines. The estate as we know it today was incorporated in 1875. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Valdespino earned international acclaim, becoming exclusive supplier of Spanish and Swedish royal families. In 1999, Valdespino was acquired by the Estévez family, owners of the La Guita and Marqués del Real Tesoro wineries.
VINE: 692 acres (280 ha) in total; 49 acres (20 ha) are GPE-approved
KEY VARIETALS: Palomino Fino
ECO: 20 acres (8 ha) of certified organic vineyard
INNOVATE: One of the only wineries in Jerez still making single-vineyard and barrel-fermented wines
THE TEAM
Now in its second generation of Estévez ownership, Valdespino remains a family winery. The technical team (which, it should be noted, is a majority women) consists of11people,ofwhichninearewinemakers.
Growing up in a family that loved sherry and inspired by her grandfather who worked in a winery in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Director of Winemaking Victoria Frutos pursued degrees in agricultural engineering and enology and a master’s in agri-food quality control. She hasbeenworkingforJoséEstévezsince2005.
Winemaker: VictoriaFrutos
SUSTAINABLE VALUES
Valdespino has 20 acres (8 ha) of certified organic vineyards. Treatments are kept to a minimum as Palomino is disease-resistant, and climate conditions keep vines healthy.
TERROIR
Jerez’s southern climate is shaped by the influence of the Atlantic Ocean. The westerly wind brings ocean humidity, watering the vineyard during the early morning. Average annual rainfall is 24 inches andconcentratedbetweenOctoberandMay.
Macharnudo is arguably Jerez’s greatest vineyard. Its privileged position on a line of hills has a southwest orientation on a 10% slope to take advantage of the cooler western winds and protect itfromthewarmeasterlywinds.
The soil of the vineyard is the archetype of the typical albariza, rich in calcium carbonate (containing up to 40%), clay and silica. Thanks to its high levels of calcium carbonate, its clay texture does not crack. It absorbs rain like a sponge. Then, because of the high heat, the soil forms a crust as it driesthatpowerfullylimitsevaporation.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
MACHARNUDO Valdespino is one of the only Sherry Houses in Spain to make wines from a single vineyard. Vines have been grown in Macharnudo Alto since the 13th century, and Valdespino was well-known for its exceptional qualities by the 19thcentury.Today,thisvineyardistheexclusivesourceforMacharnudoBarrelFermented,FinoInocente,AmontilladoTio Diego,PaloCortadoCPandPaloCortadoCardenal.
EXCEPTIONAL WINEMAKING AND AGING Torespecttraditionandtheuniquecharacteroftheirgrapes,Valdespinogoes above and beyond in all phases of production. For example, in contrast to most houses in Jerez who ferment in stainless steel and inoculate the flor (yeast veil) to influence final style, Valdespino wines are barrel-fermented in reused oak barrels andallowedtofollowtheirnaturalcourse.
While DO regulations require a fino sherry to age a minimum of two years, Valdespino’s Fino Inocente, which has 10 criaderas, has an average of 10 years under the flor. The additional aging gives the wines a complexity and texture that standapartfromanyotherfinointhefield.AmontilladoTioDiegoalsohasanexceptionalaverageageof17years.
In 2015, Valdespino first produced a still white wine from the Palomino in Macharnudo as an experiment. Today, Macharnudo Barrel Fermented is a part of their single-vineyard bottlings, and carries the minerality and salinity that this pago is noted for.
How is the terroir reflected in the wines of Valdespino?
The calcium carbonate in the Albariza soils of Macharnudo produce very mineral wines. They are savoryandsalinewithlongpersistence.
AnotherkeypartofValdespino’scharacterisfromits velo de flor. Composed of yeasts inherent in the atmosphere and impregnated in the barrels, the product is unique to the conditions of the winery. The character that these factors confer on the fino and amontillado is unmistakable. This velo Inocente to spend up to 10 years being influenced by it. This long biological aging process allows Valdespino to create Amontillado Tio Diego without adding alcohol to provokethetransitiontooxidativeaging.Eventually,the
Singularities of the Winery
Fino Inocente from the Macharnudo pago is the only Fino still fermented in 500 L oak barrels, instead of the usual large-capacity stainless steel tanks. It is also one of the only wines that has 10 criaderas, instead of the twoorthreethatotherwineriescurrentlyhave
Why is Valdespino a Grandes Pagos
VALDESPINO PORTFOLIO:
Fino Inocente, Amontillado Tio Diego, Palo Cortado Viejo CP, Palo Cortado Cardenal V.O.R.S.
Fino Inocente
DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Varieties
100% Palomino Fino
Vinification
Fermentation in oak barrels. Biological aging, average 10 years
Good to Know
Passes through 10 criaderas and one solera
Amontillado Tio Diego
DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Varieties
100% Palomino Fino
Vinification
velo dies from lack of nutrients, allowing the oxidative phasetoinitiatenaturally. VALDESPINO
Fermentation in oak barrels. Biological and oxidative aging, average age is 17 years
Good to Know
Passes through 8 biological criaderas, 2 oxidative criaderas and one oxidative solera. No second fortification to stop biological aging
Ctra. N IV Km 640 11408 Jerez de la Frontera Cádiz BODEGAVALDESPINO.COM
Contacts: Jaime Gil, Pilar García jgm@grupoestevez.com pgm@grupoestevez.com
For more information about The Terroir Workshop, including updates on upcoming class schedules, please register here
