La Escribana, 2021. Bodegas Luis Perez, Jerez

Aromatic on the nose with citrus peel and spice. Super fresh juice, salty savouriness, dried fruit. A long fresh finish.

The Pérez family have been viticultores, estate workers and winemakers for several generations. In 2002 Willy Perez and his father Luis, a professor of oenology at the University of Cádiz and former winemaker at Domeq, set up their bodega just north west of Jerez. They are interesting in exploring the historic pagos or single estates that used to define and give character to Jerez wines.

Grapes are handpicked in several stages, the first picking was of slightly green grapes to give higher acidity in the final wines. The grapes are gently pressed and cool fermentation is in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then transferred to 80 year old sherry casks where it ages biologically, under flor, for a year before bottling.

Grapes are sourced from a south-east facing parcel called Cerro de Obispo in Pago Marchanudo. Current plantings are low yielding bush trained Palomino 84 clone vines pruned in the traditional vara y pulgar style. Soils are the Tosca de Barajuela type of albariza with layers of marl running through like a deck of cards, it’s able to absorb water to sustain the vines through the baking summers.