Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda

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