Bodegas San Francisco Javier Fino Viña Corrales Pago Balbaína 2024

Bodegas San Francisco Javier is the Jerez venture begun in 2020 by Danish winemaker Peter Sisseck with Carlos del Río senior and junior, built on the conviction that fino can be the finest white wine in Spain. This Fino Viña Corrales comes from a single plot in Pago Balbaína, one of the most prized albariza zones near the coast. Albariza is the chalk-white soil of the Jerez region; it reflects sunlight, holds winter moisture deep for the dry summers and is fundamental to the wine's freshness. The Palomino is fortified to 15% and aged under flor, the veil of yeast that shields the wine from oxidation and ages it biologically, stripping it dry and adding bready autolytic character. The 2024 release is young and direct, made to show the precision of the vineyard. The colour is pale, bright straw. The nose is sharp and delicate, with fresh bread dough, almond and a clean saline edge. The palate is exceptionally dry and light, with green apple, lemon and brine over a fine, mineral finish. Serve well chilled at 7 to 9 degrees in a white-wine glass. It is an aperitif and a wine for seafood.