Sacristía AB Manzanilla 2025

Sacristía AB is a project Antonio Barbadillo runs to make occasional bottlings drawn from individual casks of older Sanlúcar wineries. This Manzanilla comes from a cask at Bodegas Francisco Yuste, bottled in two annual extractions without filtering or clarifying. The base wine is Palomino grown on the albariza chalk soils around Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where the cool, humid Atlantic climate keeps the cellars damp enough for the flor yeast to thrive. Through its long ageing the wine matured under that veil of flor in oak, the yeast protecting it from oxidation while building the saline, bready and nutty character of Manzanilla. Because it is bottled en rama, taken straight from the cask with minimal handling, it keeps more of its texture, aroma and a deeper golden colour than a standard filtered bottling. Expect a nose of almond, hazelnut, dried apricot and sea air, and a dry, full, saline palate with a long savoury finish. The lack of filtration gives extra weight and grip. Serve well chilled at around 9C in a white wine glass. It rewards fuller seafood and savoury plates.