Fernando de Castilla Antique Amontillado NV
Type: Fortified Wine
Country: Spain
Region: Jerez
Grape Variety: 100% Palomino Fino
Alcohol Percentage: 19%
Viticulture: Vegan Friendly
Climate: Generally warm as a direct consequence of its low-lying altitude. Though the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean plays an important role in maintaining levels of humidity and moderating temperatures
Terroir: Grapes are sourced from Fernando de Castilla’s partner’s vineyards in the Jerez district. The soil type is Albariza. Picking takes place in early September
Ageing: Created from individual Soleras, and bottled without blending, cold stabilization or filtration of any kind in order to preserve the subtlety, purity and distinctive aromas of the Sherry. The Fernando de Castilla Antique Amontillado comes from a very old Fino (8 yrs old) which is refortified from 15.5% to 18.0% ABV and introduced into a solera of Amontillado where it spends a further 12 years.
Color: Classic greenish amber tint, typical of aged amontillados of a rich golden colour
Nose: The nose is enticingly scented with cashew, walnut, earl grey tea and just a hint of mushroom
Palate: Intense and ultra-complex sherry, a Sherry aficionado dream. Dry on the palate, concentrated and balanced with a velvety texture about it, with impressive length on the finish
About the Winery:
Widely recognized as one of the most exceptional of the small, independent sherry houses, Rey Fernando de Castilla was founded in 1837 by a family named Andrada-Vanderwilde. Fernando Andrada was the owner. They started producing brandy in 1956 (they are very famous for their brandy in Spain and Europe) and trademarked the name Rey Fernando de Castilla in 1969.
In 1999, the house was purchased by Jan Pettersen, a Norwegian with a passion for top-quality sherry and 15 years of experience at Osborne. After taking over the cellars of the sherry shipper José Bustamante, located next door to the main facilities of Fernando de Castilla, Jan quickly revitalized this winery, and today they are once again known as masters of the production and ageing of fine, unblended, untreated sherries.
They produce two lines: the Classic and the Antique. The wines in the Classic line have lower alcohol, and are styled to be more, well, classic, meaning that these are wines that are textbook representations of their kind. However, this house’s reputation is based on the excellence of the Antiques, a series of intensely pure and complex single solera sherries that undergo extended ageing in the cellar (the Antique PX is a 30-year-old system, while the Fino is 8 years) which results in sherries of great complexity and depth.
