Peter Sultan

8.9

A younger line of sherries from Barbadillo, about 10yro from solera.. a bit clunky, & surprisingly not as full as the dry oloroso in this line. Still, for 20$ I can manage. — a year ago

romo

9.3

My favorite of recent sherries. Golden color and light yellow fruit with the nuts in the background. Sunny ☀️ — 4 years ago

Martinez

9.1

Very impressed by the Palmas series, a special release of “en rama” sherries from selected casks from the Tío Pepe solera. Traditionally, cellarmasters in Jerez would mark exceptional casks with a chalk drawing of a palm tree branch (palma in Spanish), potentially adding more branches if those wines continued to show finesse and delicacy as they aged. To make the selection, González Byass’ invites different guests (mostly wine critics and somms) every year, an honor that befell Ferran Centelles (El Bulli) in 2020.

The 2020 Una Palma comes from three casks from the Tio Pepe solera with 6 years of aging under flor, bottled unfined and unfiltered (en rama). Sharp nose with notes of almonds, yeast and hints of citrus. Fresh, mineral and very saline. Much more intense aromas and flavors than the regular Tio Pepe — 5 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.0

@Delectable Wine this is Pedro's Block Malbec. .. It was not in the DBase.... Spent some time with this new 18 Vintage of Spoto's Malbec from Pedro's Block. A delightful, very youthful wine that will appreciate quite a bit in the next 1-2 years. The wine poured a ruby red / crimson into the glass. Nose was divided about 50% floral with lilac, jasmine, and rose petal and balanced nicely with sweet red plums, red candied applies. But, had a very volcanic kind of quality to it. The deeper the huff, the more you started to get a faint background of herbs. The entry is medium+ to full bodied red-fruited wine. Under-ripe sweet youthful tart red cherries and red plums. As it sits on the mouthfeel, a cherry cola note develops and the herbal quality of this starts to show. Finishes with a lot of acidic character, and fair amount of tannin. After a couple of hours, almost a graham cracker note came into the picture. This is not your purple fruited malbec, it is WAY more interesting than that. But I think the best is yet to come. Optimal drinking 2022-2032. Rating today is 90+, with potential for 93/94 in the next 3-4 years. — 5 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.2

Perfecto!
An old, Chinchona infused vermouth that’s date, anise, bitter luscious.
Based on 20 yr. Oloroso.
W some soda on a hot day, pow!

@Delectable Wine : This is Valdespino Quina.




HISTORY

The history of the aperitif dates back to the 5th century B.C. when Hippocrates concocted a wine-based beverage macerated with wormwood flower and other herbs, which was traditionally used as a restorative and an appetite stimulant. In the late 1700s, in Italy, a flavored wine called "vermouth" was introduced as an appetite booster before meals. This tradition later spread to France and Spain.

In Spain, the aperitif and the "tapa" have together contributed to create a unique "social occasion" which has gradually become a key attraction for the general public and tourists worldwide; that is, the longstanding association of social gatherings with Spanish gastronomy.

The main difference between Spanish aperitifs (Vermouth and "Quina" or Tonic Wine, in particular) and their French and Italian counterparts lies in the quality of the aromatic flavors and the botanicals and fruits employed. Spanish aperitifs are somewhat sweeter and lighter, whereas Italian aperitifs are distinctive for their bitter flavor, while their French counterparts tend to be drier.

VALDESPINO AND
THE ORIGIN OF THE APERITIF

The connection between the Valdespino family and the aperitif dates back to the end of the 19th century and became especially relevant in the first quarter of the 20th century, at the height of the sherry wine boom.

By 1920 the House of Valdespino was already producing several wines macerated with root extracts and botanicals. They were called "tonics" and "quinados" and were recommended as "tonic – aperitifs" or "fortifiers", as shown on the labels of the time.

From 1930 until the second half of the 20th century, The House of Valdespino was particularly active in the production of beverages macerated with different botanicals, fruits and bitter root extracts (cinchona bark and vermouth). The company marketed several wines with considerable success, mainly on the domestic market but also in countries like the USA, where, in the 60s, Valdespino, together with their associate Jack Poust, launched a vermouth with orange called "Tomboe", designed mainly for the younger clientele.

Thanks to the boost provided at the time by the export of sherry wines to England and its overseas provinces, there was a boom in the production of wines made, or rather, macerated with the root of Cinchona Calisaya, whose bark, popularly called "quina", was the basis of quinine, an extract that contributed effectively to malaria prevention.

Since then, Valdespino has been macerating and bottling blends of different varieties of their own sherries.

THE ORIGIN OF
THE "JEREZ APERITIF"

The Estévez family, owners of Bodegas Valdespino since 1999, carried on with this tradition, and continued to macerate old wines from the different Valdespino soleras with various botanicals, natural extracts and fruits. These were small productions and batches, bottled for their own consumption, elaborated experimentally and in advance of what has now become the family's new collection.

The launching in 2021 of "Valdespino Aperitifs" represents an important milestone for the company, since it is a unique range in the Valdespino catalogue.

Valdespino's original "Tonic for the Sick" label, dating back over a century, has been selected in an attempt to recover some of the iconic designs from the family labels museum. The image, somewhere between Art Deco and vintage, has inspired the design, which is intended as a benchmark for today's aperitif ranges.

This is the first time that a Jerez winery has developed a collection of aperitifs by recovering old recipes and original labels from the early 20th century, using Very Old Oloroso Wines from the founding soleras of the Jerez firm, which today constitute our prized "VOS" and "VORS" (Sherry Wines of an average of over twenty and thirty years of age, respectively).


VERMOUTH

A coupage of Very Old Oloroso Sherry Wine (aged for 15 years) and Moscatel, which provides a stylish citrus note. After undergoing a hydro-alcoholic maceration process with bitter extracts of mugwort, coriander, elderberry and gentian, together with chamomile flowers, aromatic cloves, cinnamon, dried Seville oranges and juniper berries, the final blend is then aged in barrels which have previously contained Valdespino Oloroso Wines, all these coming together to make an intense and complex vermouth with a sumptuous balance of aromas.

This vermouth is a signature aperitif with an unmistakable identity characterized by the prominence of the Old Oloroso from Jerez, alongside an elegant dash of bitterness, which is offset by the sweetness of the Moscatel. The result is a subtly balanced taste with unique spicy and citrus notes provided by the botanicals and fruits.

Bright mahogany color with coppery tones.
Intense spicy aromas with hints of Oloroso Sherry.
Citrus notes from oranges, with a lovely, spiced blend of clove and gentian. An elegant, enveloping bitterness resulting in a complex yet smooth palate. Warm and welcoming, faintly sweet aftertaste.
Serve in a tumbler glass, with ice and a slice of grapefruit or orange. Ideal as an aperitif, accompanied by nuts, olives and pickles, it also combines superbly with canned fish tapas such as anchovies, pickled tuna and the like.

QUINA

This aperitif is the result of the coupage of 20-year-old Oloroso Wines with Pedro Ximenez from the soleras of our iconic PX "EL Candado". The procedure involves a hydro-alcoholic maceration process of Cinchona bark (Quina) with gentian root, natural licorice extract and nutmeg, along with a selection of dried citrus fruits, such as grapefruit and Seville oranges.

The result is a stylish, complex, one-of-a-kind aperitif with a bitter refreshing note. The Pedro Ximenez also provides a characteristic nuance of dried fruit (sultanas, dried figs, dates) that makes this tonic wine ever more unique.

A fresh and sweet palate with citrus and slightly tart notes, all wrapped up in a spicy combination of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla … leaning into the sweet reminders of the Oloroso Sherry barrels where it is aged.

Dark mahogany color with coppery tones.
Spicy aromas with vegetal notes from the botanicals and Oloroso Sherry.
Slightly bitter notes of Cinchona, combining well with the botanicals (licorice, nutmeg) and hints of dried fruits (dates, sultanas). A stylish citrus touch and the quinine bitterness bring about a warm, lingering aftertaste.
Ideal as a complement in cocktails (Rum Old Fashioned, Negroni, Mahattan, etc), it also makes for a perfect aperitif in a tumbler glass, on the rocks, with a cinnamon stick and a twist of orange.Serve with crisps, olives and pickles.


BODEGAS VALDESPINO
CTRA. N-IV, KM. 640 - 11408 - JEREZ, SPAIN
Bodegas Valdespino - All rights reserved 2021 — 3 years ago

Cathy Corison

Owner/Winemaker Corison Winery

8.9

Grandes Dames tasting 2/1/23. My 2nd, group 2nd. Green olives. Hints of plum. Sherries emerge. Full mouth. Ripe black cherries. Tar. Ripe. — 3 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.0

From Castilla Y Leon, & at 14.5% abv, not something that typically attracts me. But the importer Pastor brings in great sherries, so down the rabbit hole I went. Glad I went. Pours an inky black, with integrated blackberries & cassis on nose & on palate. Fills up the mouth but in balance- like Juan Gil, does not drink big or taste out of balance. If anything, tastes more like a black fruited Chinon, especially with a fine graininess to its texture. Had with harissa chicken & quinoa. — 4 years ago

with Owen

Phil Kessling

9.2

One of my absolute favorite wines. This is my first bottle of the 2020 vintage and I think it is the best of the last 3 vintages. Cherries, sherries and more cherries. So delicious. — 4 years ago

Adriana Fabbro

8.9

One of the better fino sherries I’ve had recently: aromas of struck match, lemon peel, ocean spray, herbs (dried sage), acetaldehyde (bruised apple, almonds), bread dough, toast. Muy seco. While some fino sherries come off as thin and harsh (from the alcohol), this one has just enough complexity, concentration and weight to it. — 5 years ago

Ian Hamel

9.0

2020 summer. I picked this up when I was itching for some sherry and had to go with the selection at Tokyu. Expecting something basic, I was pleasantly surprised - this had nice intensity and character. Very old and rare sherries aren’t quite the bargains they once were, but the basic bottles from good producers still are awfully satisfying and very fairly priced. — 5 years ago