Barbadillo Manzanilla Arboledilla Levante

Barbadillo Manzanilla Arboledilla Levante comes from the Arboledilla, a large traditional cellar in the Barrio Alto of Sanlucar de Barrameda holding more than 1,500 casks. The name marks the Levante, the warm, dry easterly wind, the counterpart to the cooler Poniente bottling. The wine is made from Palomino Fino grown on the chalky albariza soils of the Jerez region, pale soils that hold winter moisture and reflect heat to ripen the fruit. After fortification to around 15 percent the wine ages roughly six years in the criaderas and soleras system under a veil of flor. The flor consumes oxygen and glycerine and shields the wine from the air, giving Manzanilla its dry, yeasty and saline profile, and the slightly longer ageing here adds depth and nuance. The colour is bright yellow. The nose is rich and powerful, led by the yeast cap, with almond, chamomile and bread dough. The palate is light in body but concentrated, dry and savoury, with a saline, umami-edged finish. Serve well chilled at around 7 to 9 degrees in a white wine glass.