Beautifully light, crisp and dry with a lean salty edge.
Pale, straw yellow in colour. Decidedly tangy, yeasty and salty nose. Lighter, crisper and more crackly than its older sibling - Fino. The palate lures you in with soft apple and citrus flavours, then attacks with a savoury nutty tang, and finishes with a salty reminder of the fresh spray of the sea.
One of the most exceptional of the small, independent sherry houses, Fernando de Castilla was revitalised in 1999 by Jan Pettersen - a Norwegian with a passion for top quality sherry, and 15 years' experience at Osborne. After taking over the cellars of the Sherry shipper Jose Bustamante, located next door to the main facilities of Fernando de Castilla, Jan quickly established Fernando de Castilla as masters of the production and ageing of fine, unblended, untreated Sherries.
Grapes are sourced from Fernando de Castilla's partners' vineyards in the Jerez district. The soil type is Albariza -dazzlingly white limestone. Picking takes place in early September.
The wine is made from the first pressing of grapes, this gives a light fresh style. Fermentation takes place at relatively high temperatures to reduce fruit flavour. This makes a very neutral wine which is perfect for the production of sherry. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation. In the February after harvest the wine is fortified with grape brandy up to 15% abv. Once at this stage the wine is then added to fill 4/5ths of the butt (600-litre casks of oak American oak) in the youngest Criadera (scale) in the Solera. The ageing process of the Manzanilla Solera takes place in Sanlucar de Barrameda and the average age of the sherry is 3 years old.
Salted nuts, seafood tapas and indeed simple smoked salmon.
