Fernando de Castilla - Fino en Rama, Jerez, Spain

TASTING NOTES

Everything you want a fino to be, salty and tangy...olive brine, yeasty - with bite and elegance. En Rama is essentially an unfiltered style of fino sherry (although Fernando de Castilla barely filter their regular wines anyway) and so offers more weight, texture and complexity than the norm. Delicious.

The age of this Fino En Rama is 4-5 years. Mind that it’s not simply the ‘en rama’ version of their regular Classic Fino (which is a modern-style, young Fino). Instead it is a blend of both the Classic Fino and their Antique Fino (an 8 years old Fino from a solera that was composed from barrels taken out of the Classic solera), usually one cask of each mixed together.

Rey Fernando de Castilla was founded in 1960s by Fernando Andrada-Vanderwilde, who was part of an aristocratic family involved in winemaking for over 200 years. He took over some old sherry cellars from Pedro Domecq, as well as brandy soleras from Marqués del Real Tesoro. After having operated as Fernando III, the company was renamed Fernando de Castilla in 1972. He focused primarily on top quality brandy as well as on Pedro Ximénez wine.

Later the Norwegian-born Jan Pettersen bought Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castillo in 1999 and upgraded the brand to one of the most interesting of the D.O. Jerez / Xéres / Sherry. Pettersen also acquired a neighbouring almacenista José Bustamente and focused entirely on high-end, complex sherries, usually from a single solera. While some of them are old enough to carry a VOS or VORS label, the bodega doesn’t believe in this system. Pettersen feels that it does not accurately reflect what makes sherry so special.