Valdespino Fino `Inocente` Pago de Macharnudo

Straw yellow in colour. Savoury aromas bread dough, almonds, olives and dried apples dominate on the nose. Bone dry and bracingly refreshing on the palate, with a saline minerality and a long and complex finish.

Valdespino is one of the oldest bodegas in Jerez, with a history of Sherry production going back six centuries. Back in 1264, Alfonso Valdespino was one of 24 knights who fought against the Arabs for the city of Jerez with King Alfonso X. As a reward for his efforts he was given land that formed the basis of the bodega.

The Palomino grapes for the Fino ‘Inocente’ are grown in the Pago Macharnudo – one of the top single-vineyard sites on the Jerez DO. At 135 metres above sea level, it is one of the highest altitude sites in the region and has a south-east aspect with a 10% gradient – perfect exposure for the Palomino to reach optimum levels of ripeness. Soils are white ‘albariza’ - rich in calcium carbonate, silica and clay. Albariza has excellent water retention properties and acts like a sponge, but it also forms a hard surface layer when it dries out, preventing evaporation. After the harvest, channels are dug between the vines to exploit these properties and trap the winter rains, creating a water reserve to sustain the vines through the heat of the Jerezano summers, during which temperatures can exceed 38°C.

Upon arrival at the winery, the Palomino grapes are very gently pressed and the must is settled. Unusually for modern-day Jerez, fermentation is traditional and takes place in 600-litre American oak barrels. After the Palomino is fermented to dryness, it is fortified to 15% and the barrels are only partially filled. This allows a thick veil of 'flor' (yeast) to develop on the wine's surface, protecting it from oxygen. The young wine, known as the ‘sobretabla’, is then fed into the ‘Inocente’ solera system where it ages biologically under the ‘flor’ and is fractionally blended through the ten different criadera levels. The finished Fino ‘Inocente’ has an average age of 10 years, making it considerably older and more complex than your average Fino.

Country: Spain 

Region: Andalucia 

Vintage: NV

Grape Variety: Palomino

ABV: 15%

Size: 325ml 

Producer: Valdespino