Sanchez Romate Old and Plus Pedro Ximenez Sherry 50cl

Description

Sanchez Romate Old and Plus Pedro Ximenez Sherry is the pinnacle of Romate’s sweet, dessert Sherries. It is a Very Old Reserve Sherry.

Bodegas Sanchez Romate is a high-quality producer of both Sherry wines and Brandy de Jerez. The company was established by Juan Sánchez de la Torre in 1781 to produce fine wines. Over two hundred years later Sanchez Romate is one of the oldest bodegas in Spain and one of the remaining wineries in the Jerez Designation of Origin that remains under independent family ownership. A brandy was first produced in 1887 and it is the fabulous Cardenal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva which has become the family’s flagship brand. The company produces three different Sherry ranges, from the classic Romate range to the Reservas Especiales through to La Sacristía, the company’s oenological treasures.

Sánchez Romate owns some 60 hectares of vineyards on some of the best “Albariza” soils, the famous chalky white soils, of the Jerez region. They have also invested in some of the most modern facilities in the area, all of which are still housed in the traditional bodega buildings in central Jerez. There are still high-ceiling traditional cellars which naturally keep temperatures stable and allow the natural yeasts to circulate whilst the sand floors help maintain the optimum levels of humidity. These factors are all important for the development of the flor, the layer of yeast which sits on the surface of the wine.

Before ageing, Sherry begins life as a white wine, normally made from Palomino grapes, which is then fortified with a young grape brandy. After fortification Sherries are aged through the traditional criaderas y soleras system, a fractional ageing system consisting of American oak casks filled to five-sixths and arranged in layers of three to four. Essentially, the oldest Sherry is drawn off the bottom level for bottling which is then topped up at the top level with the new Sherry.

The winery produces an extremely limited reserve of very old wines some of which are so old that nobody remembers their age. They were traditionally reserved for the family’s consumption. Sanchez Romate Old and Plus Pedro Ximenez Sherry is made from over-ripe and sun-dried Pedro Ximénez grapes. The grapes are laid out on esparto-grass mats to dry for one and a half to three weeks, known as the “soleo” process. As a result the sugar concentration in the grapes greatly increases.

Sanchez Romate Old and Plus Pedro Ximenez Sherry has been aged for over 25 years in oak casks using the traditional method. The result is a delicately exquisite, dark-coloured wine with a sweet flavour and a velvety texture.