Fernando de Castilla Classic FIno en Rama

Rey Fernando de Castilla is a century old bodega in the centre of Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, producing both young fortified wines and its older Antique range. This Classic Fino en Rama is made from Palomino Fino grown on the chalky albariza soils of the Jerez triangle, a white limestone that holds moisture deep in the subsoil through the long dry summer. The must is fortified to around fifteen degrees, the point at which a thick cap of flor yeast forms across the wine in part filled butts. Under this living veil the Fino ages biologically, the yeast shielding it from oxygen while it feeds on the wine and lends bready, yeasty and saline character. En rama means the wine is drawn straight from the cask with little or no fining or filtration, so it keeps more of the texture and aroma that flor gives, at the cost of a slightly shorter life once bottled. The colour is a deep, attractive golden hue. The nose is sharp and intense, with fresh dough, almond, chamomile, green apple and floral hints. The palate is bone dry and full, saline and yeasty, with a rich, pronounced intensity and a lingering finish. Serve well chilled at 7 to 9 degrees in a white wine glass, ideally soon after opening.