Callejuela Manzanilla Origen 750ml

Brothers Pepe y Paco produce some incredibly dynamic Palominos from el Marco de Jerez, some fortified and some not, and some with flor and some without. Their father, Francisco Blanco Martínez, ‘el Blanquito’ founded the business in 1980. Originally, he worked as an almacenista de mosto, farming his own vineyards and selling the base wine to bottling houses. His sons came on board in the late 1990s, and consolidated the operation in a cellar atop the slope of Pago el Hornillo on the estuary side of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Today they own 28 hectares of vines across four pagos. This Manzanilla is a blend of 3 of them: 50% Añina, 30% Macharnudo, 20% Callejuela approximately, and a mix of various albariza soils. The later harvested vines are fermented in stainless, and post-fortification they move to butts with little headspace, allowing for a thinner layer of flor. With each step in the solera (moving to subsequent crideras), the ullage is increased. This remains in barrel for 4-5 years, with seasonal bottlings. Tight and bright, with focused lemon peel, lemon blossoms, salted marcona, and white grapefruit across the structural palate, finishing with a generous wash of flaked sea salts, and a kiss of herbal anise. Great intensity and focus; allow this to open in the glass.

Score: 91 points -- Treve Ring, gismondionwine.com, 2021