Bodegas Hidalgo ‘Pastrana’ Manzanilla Pasada

I stopped by Rathdowne Cellars on Saturday morning in search of Manzanilla and found this puppy. It comes in a full 750ml bottle so you can have two binges from the one bottle. For our non-Australian visitors, the Australian Government is about to release new alcohol guidelines that assert that more than 4 standard drinks in one day is a ‘binge’ on alcohol, and that any more than 2 drinks a day is harmful. 4 standard drinks is about 3 glasses of wine.
Its an unusual sherry for more than just the bottle size, its a single vineyard wine which is quite rare but not un heard of. Like champagne, most sherry is made from a range of vineyards and then blended. The whole story is on the front label, so I won’t spoil the read for you.
Apples and chamomile on the nose with some almonds and light flor notes. Very delicate, mellow and smooth in the mouth, quite nutty but refreshing. The palate shows plenty of typical manzanilla notes of apple, almonds, a bit of salt and yeasty bread. Less salty than expected.  A warm finish that lingers for quite a while. Highly drinkable and an excellent with food too.  92 Pts

Source: Rathdowne Cellars Price: $34 Closure: Cork Stopper

Web: www.vinicola-hidalgo.es

Herederos de Argueso San Leon Manzanilla

I was out at lunch last week and ordered a glass of Manzanilla to kick things off.  One of the guys said "I'll have one too".  I was quite surprised, so I said "you know I just ordered Sherry?" "Oh, I thought you ordered a refreshing white wine" was his reply.  And he was right.  At 15% Manzanilla is about the same as a glass of chardonnay these days, and is the ultimate refresher in these days of climate change.

San Leon is new in town, adding to what seems to be a growing list of Manzanilla available in Australia.  Like most sherry houses, Herederos de Argueso has been around since the dawn of time and produces the full range of wines.  It is one of the leading manzanillas in the UK actually.

Very pale, almost colourless. Classic nose, salt spray, chamomile, roasted nuts and flor.  Refreshing and highly drinkable.  This is not a simple sherry, the palate is complex, but subtle.  More nuts, light sea salt and tangy apple. There is also a mealy character that I find very interesting.  You will need to order a couple of these, it goes all too quickly.  92 Pts.

Source:  Toro/Woods Wines Price: Around $18 (375ml) Closure: Screwcap

Web:  www.argueso.es

La Guitana Manzanilla

The gypsy girl, possibly the best known manzanilla, you could say she is the face of Manzanilla.  The picture on the label was painted byJoaquín Turina.  Again this is a very popular manzanilla, its the drink of choice in the bars of Seville, which must be the sherry drinking capital of the world.

This bottle is getting towards the end of its drinking life having been bottled in January this year, but it is still showing very well looks fresh. A fresher bottle (less than 6 months in bottle) may go up a point.

Very pale with aromas of sea spray and almonds with a great yeasty, flor character oozing the essence of good manzanilla.  Dry, refreshing and balanced in the mouth, more lightly salted nuts, bitter herbs and a touch of apple. 88 Pts.

Source: Rathdowne Cellars Price: Around $16.50 (500ml) Closure: Cork Stopper

Web:  www.vinicola-hidalgo.es

La Guita Manzanilla

Sorry for the shoddy label on this one, there is a bit of string that goes under the label for some reason.  Anyway, this is a very popular manzanilla in Spain, either that or the people who market it are very good, as it has been in the mini bar of just about every hotel I have stayed at in Spain.  Kind of like the Gideon bible, but drinkable.

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of this wine, but I can appreciate the style.  Perhaps it is a bit old whenever I drink it, but I wouldn't know as the bottling date is not stamped on the back (La Goya has it).

Very pale straw in colour, the nose has candle wax, a kind of citrus wiff and what can only be described as a flor character.  In the mouth it is quite fresh, if a little sharp, but nice and tangy. Almonds, candle wax and lemon make up the bulk of the flavours on the palate. It has a nice long finish that leaves you with a tart, grape tang.  Very good and at $10 for a stubbie, its well worth putting in your lunch box for some midday tapas in the park.  87 Pts.

Source: Retail Cost: $10 (375 ml)  Closure: Screwcap

Web: www.laguita.com

La Goya Manzanilla Pasada

I was reading GW's review of some sherry from Rutherglen over the weekend when I realised that I've only got one post on sherry so far.  Very embarrassing.  So, to rectify the situation a picked up a couple of stubbies of Manzanilla, this is the first.

For the uninitiated, Manzanilla is a style of fino sherry that is made in the town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, its close to the sea and the wine is said to have a salty tang as a result.  There are two types of Manzanilla: Fina and Pasada.  Fina is young, light and elegant and Pasada is aged for a longer period of time and gains more complexity.  You can then have an 'en Rama' version of the same wine, which is basically straight from the cask, unfiltered.  I haven't encountered an en Rama Manzanilla in Australia yet, if you know of one please let me know, they are usually a step up from the filtered wine.

A light hay colour, a nice nose of nuts and bread, some white flowers as well. Fresh and crisp in the mouth, load of tangy nut flavours.  You could imagine a small burst of sweetness on the back palate, but you would be imagining it, this is very dry.  There isn't a lot of saltiness here (a trademark of Manzanilla), just a touch.  Great lingering finish.  At 15% alc, this is same alcohol level and many table wines these days! Throw out that VB rubbish and replace it with this.  92 pts. 

Source: Retail Cost: $15 (375 ml)  Closure: Screwcap

Web: www.delgadozuleta.com