Manzanilla Las Medallas de Argüeso

Manzanilla Las Medallas de Argüeso is made by Bodegas Argüeso, founded in 1822 and ageing its wines in the historic centre of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Manzanilla is a Fino that must be aged in Sanlúcar, on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Guadalquivir, where the cool, humid sea breeze keeps the veil of flor yeast thicker and more active year round than inland in Jerez. The wine is pure Palomino Fino from the albariza chalk soils, lightly fortified to around 15 percent so the flor can grow across the surface of the cask. That living veil shields the wine from oxygen and feeds on its alcohol and glycerine, producing the bone-dry, saline and faintly bready character that defines the style, while the maritime cellars push the salinity further. Fractional ageing through the soleras keeps the flor alive and steadily refreshes the wine. It is pale straw with a sharp, delicate palate of almond, green apple and chamomile over a marked saline tang, finishing dry and clean. Serve well chilled at around 8 degrees in a copita, as an aperitif or with seafood.