Ximénez-Spínola Palo Cortado Serie 2

The first batches were obtained before 2009 from musts initially fermented for white wines 100% from the Pedro Ximénez grape, although almost half of the barrels selected in this blend come from the 2015 harvest. of wines controlled by the Regulatory Council with at least 60 months in barrel.

The grapes were overripe on the vine for an additional 21 days in addition to the conventional harvest. It was collected by hand and transported in 15 kg boxes. to avoid deterioration in the grains, very mature and full of aromatic and sensitive concentrations. It was milled in a soft pressing press, with yields per ton of fresh grapes of less than 600 liters of freshly pressed must. Immediately after grinding, it was introduced with its skins into 300-litre French Oak barrels, adding 30 liters to each barrel every day, so that the yeasts would finish off all the sugars daily and leave the wine completely dry.

Unlike the Fino “Jerez Seco Serie 1”, this Palo Cortado developed a very slight “veil of flower” after fermenting in French Oak, but soon, and precisely because of that “veil”, it was rejected for making white wines. After the first 24 months, each barrel separately began its own oxidation process, at which time the content of each one was transferred to American Oak. After several years of oxidative aging, the most expressive wines of this profile were selected and two thousand five hundred and ninety-two bottles of the final "coupage" from barrels were bottled in October 2021.

This Palo Cortado is dark amber in color, consistent with its oxidative process without excesses, although always clean and bright. By putting the glass in rotation, it generates dense and glyceric tears, typical of natural fermentation and aging on lees during the first year.

Extremely expressive and aromatic, with subtle notes of biological aging. There are aromas of noble wood and joinery, as well as citrus and lactic aromas. The American Oak takes precedence over the French, although both are identified. The Pedro Ximénez variety provides a subtle hint of dried figs. Alcohol is not perceived, but a powerful oxidation is.

In the mouth, the intensity of the aging in wood and the absence of an alcoholic sensation are surprising. It is wide, deep and voluminous. The tip of acidity is very marked. Nuts and saltiness are sustained from start to finish, with a sapidity that lacks bitterness and enhances an elegant interplay of the taste buds. Long, round and full aftertaste.