I don’t think any of the small output from Juan Piñero is imported into Australia. Reading the sherry nerd blogs like the excellent Sherry Notes and the lapsed undertheflor, there’s obviously some love for the wines. I did try a couple by the glass at the classy La Carbona Restaurant in Jerez a while ago and have memories of quite graceful but developed wine. The producer’s website is not one of the wine world’s most commercially minded but there is an email contact, so I sent a hopeful message asking about visiting. About ten days later, an email arrived with cost and bank transfer details, no easy credit card payment here. It all worked and me and a couple of Sherry aficionados turned up on warm autumn day in sea breezy Salúcar de Barrameda. The main output is Manzanilla Maruja, an old brand bought in the early 2000s by Juan Piñero, a local construction baron. The bodega building itself helped a love of the hometown drink as it was bought to develop apartments but was too lovely to demolish. Sadly he died in 2021 from Covid. Such was his passion and love for Sherry, he employed the great Ramiro Ibañez as consultant and bought fruit to fill the botas from the Callejuela brothers’ pago of Hornillo. These choices are certainly reflected in the quality in the glass.
One of the Maruja soleras. Quite a few around El Marco seem to be three botas high. This Manzanilla gets to pass through four which may help explain the extra development.
The visit was both really fascinating and a bit lost in translation too, as the young and energetic capataz, Robert, was technically on top of his game but his English stumbled and my lack of Español made it worse. Thank the great god iPhone for google translate. It was obvious he had great respect for the influence of Ramiro Ibañez.
To the bottle itself. All the salty, savoury and stripped back confrontation of a Manzanilla on its way to Amontillado. But there’s gentle orange peel, nuts, hay and a bit of the old chamomile. Reading Sherry Notes’ review from a while ago, I can’t help but find myself paraphrasing their much better note than mine. There is indeed a lovely glycerol roundness to cushion the savoury tang and even a touch of floral honey. Not a big mouthful but poised, linear and gently fading towards its end. While I must say I get most pleasure from the fruit forward, clean recent bottles of Manzanilla, Fino and especially the Vinos de Pasto, these old treasures are certainly sipped with some wonder. This one could be up to twenty years in learning to be a Pasada and maybe we’re now drinking things as they were nearly two hundred years ago. Treasures not lost.
16% alcohol. Cork. €28 at the bodega.
94 points. If you can score history.
Cognitive Bottle Therapy 