Lustau, Fino en Rama de Jerez de la Frontera 2022

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Region:
Jerez
Grape Variety:
Palomino
Bottle Size:
500ml
ABV:
15.5%
Vintage:
2022

3 En Rama by Bodegas Lustau: Three pure expressions from each town of the Sherry Triangle, produced from the most outstanding casks in each Solera.

These Lustau sherries are only released once per year when cellar master Sergio Martínez draws on his 14 years experience to select only the very best casks of biologically aged sherries and bottles them straight from the cask, raw and unfiltered, or ‘En Rama’ as this process is referred to. Timing is key and Lustau is uncompromising in their commitment to quality, refusing to bottle En Rama Sherry until it is ready. April is when the flor is at its thickest, following optimal growing conditions during the humid, cool winter months and a sufficiently wet spring.

The En Rama experience can be likened to tasting Sherry directly from the cask in the cathedral-like surroundings of Lustau’s standout bodegas. The lack of fining and filtration keeps the tasting experience authentic and allows you to experience fino Sherry at its absolute freshest and best. Whilst En Rama Sherry is intended to be enjoyed as fresh as possible, it can be kept for months, the salty delicacy will simply slowly give way to nuttier flavours.

Lustau is unique in that they release not one but three different En Rama Sherries; Fino de Jerez En Rama, Fino del Puerto En Rama and Manzanilla de Sanlúcar En Rama. As the only house to make Sherry in all three towns of the Sherry triangle – Jerez, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlúcar de Barrameda – it gives us a rare opportunity to observe the unique differences in the local microclimates of these areas.

Manzanilla de Sanlucar En Rama 2022 is a Fino aged in the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, located on the estuary of the Guadalquivir River which brings in breezes from the Atlantic ocean. The humidity is high and the flor layer grows very thick here. Manzanilla is famous for its delicate, salted almond and camomile/floral flavours. It has a more intense colour than usual manzanillas with a very brilliant gold. There is loads going on on the nose, intensely aromatic, flowery, with notes of roasted nuts, pastries and a fresh salinity reminiscent of the sea. On the palate it boasts freshness and minerality, denoting the marine origin of the soil where the vine grows. Creamy milky notes and a slightly bitter but very pleasant finish.

'The Manzanilla has a gorgeous floral nose with delicate aromas of fresh chamomile, fennel fronds and a hint of white peach. Extremely saline and fresh on the palate, almost crystalline. This leads to a pronounced yeasty and bready character on the palate, with sea salt and a lovely yellow apple note, combined with a hint of bergamot lime. A long finish, full of life.'

Fino en Rama, from Jerez de la Frontera 2022 is the town furthest from the sea and here the conditions are less humid than in El Puerto or Sanlúcar. Humidity is important to the production of ‘flor’, the yeast that grows on the surface of biologically aged Sherry as it ages in old wooden casks; it protects the wine from contact with oxygen. Flor also imparts salty, yeasty, nutty flavours to the Sherry. Flor can be fickle, it likes very specific growing conditions and those include high humidity as well as a very particular alcohol range of around 15 – 15.5%. Even within individual bodegas, the taste can differ from cask to cask simply based on its location, or how high it is off the ground. Casks situated in the middle of the bodega see more homogenous flor growth than those nearer to drafty windows, for instance. The lower humidity of Jerez results in a thinner veil of flor and as such less delicate but nuttier flavours. Jerez Finos are therefore the most full-flavoured and rounded of the biologically-aged Sherries.

'A classic Jerez, yeasty and nutty on the nose, richer and fruitier than the two coastal En Ramas. There is a lovely floral character this year, reminiscent of pressed flowers and hay. Macadamia and salted almond notes follow on the palate; it is full of roundness and richness with a fresh saline zestiness.' 

Fino en Rama, El Puerto de Santa Maria 2022 is located in the bay of Cádiz and the area can turn into a bit of a marshland during low tides. El Puerto enjoys a mild climate all year round. The style of Fino del Puerto does, conveniently, combine the best of both worlds: fullness of flavour and a delicate sea breeze character, sometimes with an intensely briny, reductive character that really makes it stand out.

'The 2022 saca displays the classic oily and briny character of El Puerto, yet it is floral with notes of chamomile, almond flower and crunchy apple. This year’s El Puero is much more open and generous compared to the 2021 saca, yet shows wonderful finesse. Salty, yeasty and briny on the palate, but there is freshness and a juicy citrus rind quality. On the finish, it is nutty, rounded, and balanced.' 

Region:
Jerez
Grape Variety:
Palomino
Bottle Size:
500ml
ABV:
15.5%
Vintage:
2022