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Valdespino

Valdespino stakes a claim as the oldest Sherry bodega, and it is hard to argue with six centuries of Sherry production as evidence. The family have been involved in making Sherry for around 700 years; exactly when they started up is not clear, the information lost in the mists of time. But in the late 13th Century, a Spanish knight, Alonso Valdespino, was granted 30 ha of vineyards by his king. From this small beginning the family established a reputation as an excellent source of the wine. The business which operates today, however, was founded as recently as 1875.

The family business is located in Jerez, in some of the city's oldest and most attractive buildings. Unsurprisingly practices here are traditional, most notable is the fermentation, which takes place in cask for the vast majority of the harvest. In addition the business encompasses the bodega Manuel de Argüeso in Sanlúcar de Barrameda which is the source of the firm's Manzanilla.

The range starts with the Manzanilla Deliciosa and Fino Inocente, the latter being quite full in style, veering more towards a fino-amontillado in terms of weight. There are two Amontillados, the Tío Diego which I find too full-on and structured for my liking, and the Coliseo. This latter wine is one of the stand-outs of the Valdespino range; frequently described as magnificent it has a powerful nose and flavour, reflecting the wine's age. Some find it too much. There are dry and sweet palo cortados El Cardenal and Carrascal, a dry and sweet olorosos Don Gonzalo and Isabella, and the sweet Solera 1842, PX Candada and PX Viejo Reserva Superior. (16/12/02)

Contact details:
Address: Pozo del Olivar 16, Jerez de la Frontera
Telephone: +34 956 331 450
Fax: +34 956 340 216

Valdespino - Tasting Notes

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Valdespino Fino 'Inocente': A typically pale hue. Full and aromatic, with aromatic herbs and rock salt notes on the nose. Very nicely balanced palate, with a seamless integration of flavour, weight and grip. Nice herby-woody character, with a firm, clean finish. Lovely aperitif. 16.5/20 (November 2004)

Valdespino Manzanilla 'Deliciosa': A good depth of colour for a Manzanilla. Nice nose, fresh and herby. Good rounded palate, with weight and an appealing rounded fleshiness, balanced by a fresh crisp acidity. Good flavour and some length. Good example of the style. 15.5/20 (November 2004)

Valdespino Amontillado: A gorgeous, dark walnut-brown hue. An immediately captivating nose, with nut and toffee aromas and the axle-grease sweetness of a PX dosage. Sweet toffee, and a welcome acidity on entry, which maintains a very fresh presence on the midpalate. Here the flavour profile fans out to reveal and array of toffee, nuts, autumn leaves and walnut. Lovely. 17.5/20 (November 2004)

Valdespino Amontillado 'Tío Diego': Fairly pale amber, tea-brown hue. Good, expressive nose though, with obvious woody, tea-cake aromas, although overlaid with ethyl acetate, varnish-like element. Moderate concentration on the palate, perhaps a touch lean. Quite firm structure, peppery alcohol, and a fairly fierce finish. Bigger on structure than character. 13.5/20 (November 2004)

Valdespino Oloroso Cream 'Isabella': A dark, treacle-brown hue with a complex nose of toffee and brazil nuts with a vegetal edge. Definite PX-derived sweetness and a slightly woody edge. Creamy residual sugar sweetness with a burnt sugar character on the palate, with toffee and raisin notes. Very good. 17/20 (November 2004)

Valdespino Cream: A lovely dark brown hue with a golden-amber edge. Toffee coated walnuts on the nose. Nicely balanced and elegant on entry, despite having an obvious creamy richness. Fresh acidity, but weighty and quite nutty. Coffee notes too one the finish. A lovely, sweet length. 17/20 (November 2004)

Valdespino Pedro Ximenez 'Candada': Not even the gimmicky seal, complete with padlock, can detract from the quality found within. A great colour here, a deep, dark, golden red-brown. Dripping with rich complexity on the nose; molasses, treacle, smoke and vegetal axle-grease notes prevail. Unctuous palate with bags of impact, a huge, sweet, treacly style. Only moderate acidity which emphasises the treacly, cigary richness. Great length. Very good indeed. 18/20 (November 2004)