Bodega Luis Perez - Muelle de Olaso, Vino de Pasto, Andalusia, Spain (2023)

TASTING NOTES

A delicious, unfortified Palomino, from the sherry area. A slightly petrol nose, with fleshy tropical fruit, citrus and chalk. Round and rich on the palate.

From the El Corregidor pago, Muelle is a structured, detailed rich and savoury wine, part of which is given a brief soleo (air drying of the grapes to reduce water concentration and increase concentration). 

It’s fermented and aged in a mix of stainless steel (80-90%) and bota. Only a small portion develops flor. Both portions spend 6 months in tank to unify. The wine is naturally acidified with addition of a light ‘green wine’ fermented from the green harvest in July.

Willy Pérez, who started his winery (named after his father Luis) in Andalucia in 2002 with the intention of making unfortified wines in the Sherry region. Pérez is using old botas (VERY large barrels) for aging, but not former sherry barrels as is common in the area. For this wine, he does allow a small amount of flor, for a maximum of 3 months, as the layer of yeast that forms on top of a partially filled barrel will eat away at some of the glycerin in the wine, making the wine fresher and leaner. 

With no fortification and with shorter ageing, all the focus of Vino de Pastos are on the terroir and the personality of each farm. With all the expression of the grapes marked by the soils, the climate and the vintage, and with the ageing only present to the necessary extent, to complement and boost the character of the terroir.