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Bodegas Valdespino 'Deliciosa' Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda NV 375ml
Bodegas Valdespino 'Deliciosa' Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda NV 375ml
SPAIN : ANDALUSIA : SANLÚCAR DE BARRAMEDA
CONVENTIONAL : Palomino Fino
LIGHT-BODIED, SALINE, HAZELNUT, CITRUS, FLOR, NEUTRAL OAK
Bodegas Valdespino traces its history in the Marco de Jerez to 1430. Grupo Estévez acquired the house in 1999; winemaking is now directed by Maribel Estévez. The 'Deliciosa' is sourced entirely from the Miraflores pago in Sanlúcar de Barrameda — a coastal site whose proximity to the Guadalquivir estuary sustains the Atlantic humidity that keeps flor alive year-round. That continuous flor is the defining difference between Manzanilla and Fino: Sanlúcar's climate allows the yeast to thrive through summer, when drier inland conditions in Jerez cause the film to thin.
Palomino Fino is fermented in stainless steel, fortified to 15% ABV, then aged under flor in the 16th-century Misericordia Bodega — a seven-scale solera (six criaderas and a solera row) — for an average of five to six years. The flor metabolizes oxygen and glycerol, driving the wine toward extreme dryness and the saline, mineral, hazelnut character of the coast. Wine & Spirits scored it 93 points.
PAIRINGS :
| Jamón ibérico or salt-cured anchovies | salinity and hazelnut flor character match the umami of aged cured meat — the regional pairing for a reason |
| Fried seafood — gambas, calamari | classic Sanlúcar match; Manzanilla's bone-dry acidity cuts through frying oil cleanly |
| Aged Manchego or hard sheep's milk cheese | nutty, mineral notes from the flor mirror the crystalline character of long-aged cheese |
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