Jerez 1: Bodegas Emilio Hidalgo and Tradición
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
Tasted Wednesday, June 20, 2007 by dougsmith with 1,449 views
Introduction
We came in the name of Jesús (Barquín) to our first two sherry Bodegas today, and were warmly received with tours and tastings in both.
Flight 1 - Emilio Hidalgo (5 Notes)
We were met and taken on a very thorough and interesting tour by their American guide Peter Di Trolio. Peter revealed to us that ALL of Emilio Hidalgo's wines were raised under 'flor', with biological ageing, including their Oloroso, which may explain its finesse and quality. The usual notion that Olorosos don't see 'flor' is a tradition, but there are no legal or other prohibitions associated with it, and all winemakers do it differently.
Peter also told us that the entire distinction between various sorts of Sherry (Oloroso, Amontillado, Palo Cortado) was made by smell, none by taste, as the winemaker separated the different barrels, after roughly three years' ageing. Their Fino takes about eight years to make.
We were later met by the Capataz (in this case, the winemaker), whose name escapes me now. At any rate he has an air of knowing the place intimately, having worked the barrels for some 36 years. Indeed their whole bodega has an air of age and authenticity, as though little has changed in decades. Their barrels themselves average around 80-100 years old.
They purchase fermented must from a local cooperative, feeling that it is the cleanest, purest way to get their raw ingredients. In the past they did their own fermentations in-house, in large tanks, however it was difficult to get the cleanliness they required. Flor will not grow on an unclean must, and Emilio Hidalgo always wants to work with liquid under flor.
They are additionally producing a small amount of Sherry vinegar, under lengthy aging, which will be released onto the market in very small quantities at a relatively high price.
NB: this bodega is unrelated to the more famous Hidalgo bodega in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
Flight 2 - Bodegas Tradición (6 Notes)
We were taken around the bodega by Daniel Martínez Becerra and later accompanied for part of our tasting by Ignacio López de Carrizosa Domecq, both lively and interesting hosts. Tradición is a very new bodega, having only started in 1998, by purchasing aged wines from other bodegas locally. In contrast to Emilio Hidalgo, Tradición has an air of cleanliness and modernity. On our tour we did not spend much time with the barrels, instead looking through a collection of spanish paintings collected by the founder, who is setting up a small museum on the site. Clearly he has a definite feel for the direction that sherry marketing will take in the future. On the other hand, as all their offerings are -- and will remain -- blends of whatever wines they can purchase from their neighbors, it is unclear as to how much distinctiveness Tradición will be able to provide in the long run.
There is also the question as to whether they can really develop a "house style", as the wines they will end up producing may well change from year to year given the different sources that their wine comes from. Although they are intending to blend these together in order to minimize changes, it remains to be seen how effective this strategy can be, as their raw materials are often finished (younger) sherries, and may be distinctive in their own right. That said, what they are producing now is of extremely fine quality, by any standard.
They are also housing a small number of true vintage dated sherries, again purchased from other local bodegas, which they continue to age under wax seal from the regulatory body. They will bottle these in extremely small quantities for a collector's market.
Their brandies for me were quite a surprise as I was not familiar with them, and am in fact not much of a brandy drinker. (Partly for that reason I have not scored them, either). The "Platinum" however, is an extremely fine offering.
Closing
We will be visiting more bodegas later this week ...
NV Emilio Hidalgo Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Fino "La Panesa" 85 Points
Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Light lemon color. Very different nose for a Fino; a definite candied note, with melon and fruit flavors, and a touch of sweet almond. On the palate it is smooth and completely dry, but a bit empty on the finish.
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NV Emilio Hidalgo Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Palo Cortado "Marqués de Rodil" 88 Points
Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Medium gold color. Sweetish nose of caramel and hazelnuts. On the palate it is very dry and has a delicate pungency, with notes of fresh hay and hazelnuts.
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NV Emilio Hidalgo Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Oloroso Seco Gobernador 93 Points
Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Medium to deep gold color. Nose of fine woods and caramelized almonds. Very sweet and complex. On the palate, shows itself off as a dry (seco) Oloroso, very pungent but with honeyed flavors. It is really quite a tremendous surprise to find these sweet flavors in a wine with no detectable residual sugar. Elegant and delicious.
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NV Emilio Hidalgo Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Cream "Morenita" 85 Points
Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Deep gold color. Nose of almonds and raisins reflects its blend of 70% Oloroso and 30% Pedro Ximénez wines. On the palate it is full bodied and medium sweet with a candied edge. Bottled in screwcap.
NB: apparently the name for this wine came from the local custom in Jerezana bars of blending Oloroso with PX wines on the spot, at the end of dinner, in a rough 70/30 proportion. This concoction was called a "morenita".
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NV Emilio Hidalgo Pedro Ximénez Jerez-Xérès-Sherry 94 Points
Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Brown with a greenish rim, but far from opaque. On the nose, raisins and a complex medicinal note, like warm hay in the sun. On the palate, dense and syrupy but velvety smooth, with flavors of dates, figs and honey, and a racy spine of acidity balancing the whole. Excellent example of a relatively youthful PX.
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