As a category, Manzanillas are some of the most beautiful fino sherries around.

Valdespino, of course, takes this to the next level. This is especially true with their Manzanilla En Rama bottling.

Valdespino is one of the best bodegas in all of sherry country. It's clear that they made a very rigorous selection for their special and very limited En Rama bottling.

Today, we celebrate Valdespino's Manzanilla Deliciosa En Rama with the bottle in two stages of its evolution: the most recent release and last year's release.

En Rama (or very, very lightly filtered) sherries reveal another dimension of complexity and texture. There's little doubt that something was lost when a corporate and industrial mentality settled in the sherry region and eventually made heavily filtered sherries the norm.

I've always been a fan of the regular Manzanilla Deliciosa, but the En Rama version adds another dimension of flavor and energy to the saline elegance of Deliciosa.

As many of you know, Manzanillas are fino Sherries made close to the ocean, in Sanlúcar. These are the most delicate, feather-weight dry sherries out there. The ocean atmosphere brings a bracing, sea-breeze imbued note to the citrus-almond core. Bottling in spring when the flor is the most active really accentuates the saline brightness.

It's fascinating to compare the two bottlings. The 2016 bottling has really blossomed. It's gained a lot of depth and harmony. The 2017 is racy and finessed, showing a bright citrus quality.

The level of class and complexity that this delivers for the price is just crazy. It's always exciting to offer anything from Valdespino, but it's the Manzanilla En Rama that the staff brings home most often. We suggest that you stock up.

To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.

Joe Salamone

Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits