Álvaro Domecq Vermut La Janda

Bodegas Álvaro Domecq sits in Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, a region defined by oxidative ageing and the flor yeast veil. La Janda is the house's first vermouth, and rather than a neutral base it uses sherry wines made from the two local varieties, Palomino and the sweet, sun-dried Pedro Ximénez. The Palomino brings the dry, saline backbone of the albariza chalk soils, while Pedro Ximénez adds raisined sweetness, and the sherry base carries the nutty acetaldehyde character of oxidative ageing into the blend before botanical maceration. Wormwood and bittering herbs complete the vermouth structure. The colour is chestnut and bright. The nose is led by raisins, wood and wormwood. The palate is warm and well balanced, carrying date, dried fig and orange peel with a walnut edge from the oxidative base, finishing persistent and slightly bitter. Serve chilled over ice with an orange twist as an aperitif, or neat in a copita to show the sherry origins.