Maruja Manzanilla

Juan Piñero is a traditional Sanlúcar de Barrameda winery, founded in 1925 and long a supplier to other houses before bottling under its own name from 2016. For Maruja it acquired the final solera of the old Bodegas Terry and built seven criaderas around it. The Palomino comes from albariza chalk soils near the Guadalquivir estuary, where Sanlúcar's cool, humid Atlantic climate feeds the flor. Eight years of biological ageing under that veil of yeast in part-filled butts is a long span for a Manzanilla, and as the flor thins late in the process a degree of oxidation creeps in. The result is a wine that keeps the saline, bone-dry signature of Sanlúcar but gains the deeper toasted and nutty character of extended ageing. The nose shows citrus peel, iodine and hints of honey, with the toasted bread and roasted nut tones drawn from the flor and slow maturation. The palate is saline, persistent and elegant, dry through a long finish. Serve chilled at around 8 to 10 degrees in a white wine glass. It works as an aperitif and alongside seafood, cured ham and hard cheese.