Niepoort Manzanilla Solera

This Manzanilla is a collaboration overseen by Dirk Niepoort, the Portuguese producer best known for his Port and Douro wines, who has long worked to bring the wines of Spain and Portugal together. Manzanilla is a Fino aged only in Sanlucar de Barrameda, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir where the Atlantic meets the river. The cool, humid sea air keeps the cap of flor yeast thick and active all year round, which is what gives Manzanilla its distinctive salty, delicate character. The wine is made from Palomino Fino grown on the albariza chalk soils of the Marco de Jerez, then aged biologically under the flor veil through the solera system, where younger wine is fractionally blended through older stages. The living flor seals the wine from oxygen and feeds on alcohol, keeping it pale, bone dry and fresh while building bready, saline notes. The nose is subtle, with salt and almond over delicate bakery notes. The palate is dry and lively, with a fresh, saline character and good length. Serve well chilled at around 7 to 9 degrees in a white wine glass.