Cota 45, Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Ramiro Ibañez a lot of knowledge when it comes the the Jerez region and Palomino Fino/Listan Blanco. The first time you meet him, you realize that all you previously learnt about sherry wasn’t close to all there is to know.
Before 2012 Ramiro worked for the big bodegas and made fortified wines in what today is the ‘normal’ style of winemaking in this region. He is very interested in history and during the years at the other bodegas he collected knowledge on winemaking before the English impact which lead to the fortified style.

Before 1830 there were more or less only sweet wines produced in the Jerez region. The biggest market for these wines where the English. The taste of the English population changed during the 1830: s and they started to demand dry wines so the winemakers of Jerez adapted. Also, at this time, before phylloxera, there were 43 different indigenous grape varieties grown here, of which we see very few of in this Palomino Fino land.

He learned that between 1830 to the beginning of 1900, the people in the region had been making dry, unfortified wines in the oxidative or ‘biological way’ (what they call it when the wines are aged under flor and gets protection from oxidation) – so the fortified style of sherry we see today is a fairly new thing.

Ramiro felt he needed to try this old, traditional style out and started his small winery in 2012.
This winery is situated right on the beach of the Qualadivir river that connects Sanlúcar de Barrameda with the ocean. He is making single vineyard wines from a handful of the 18 excisting ‘pagos’ of Sanlúcar (pago = the Spanish name for single vineyard, divided according to their soil and exposition). The main varieties he’s using is Palomino Fino, but also have some old vines of Uva Rey and Perruno, two of the other old indigenous varieties you could find here before phylloxera.

Listan Blanco is the old clone of Palomino Fino, that’s also often seen planted in the Canary Islands, but actually origins from here. The ships passed here on their way out to the islands and they brought vines with them to plant back in the days.

The wines are salty, fruity, lots of minerals and fresh, with or without oxidative notes.
Like a mix between the best Listan Blanco’s from the canary island and refined, oxidative wines from the Jura region. Exciting is the least to say.

Extras: The name UBE is a nod to Simón Roxas Clemente whose book ”Ensayo
de las variedades de vid común que vegetan en Andalucía” was published in 1807 and was the first of it’s kind on systematic botany of the vine. A book that was translated and admired throughout Europe. In it, Clemente scientifically named the Listán variety with the name of Ubérrima. 

2021 UBE Paganilla

Soil: Albariza with a high content of fossil in the pago Paganilla, from two different plots
Grape: Palomino Fino
Appellation: Vino de Mesa
Age of Vines: Planted in 1959 for the higher parts of the vineyard & 1979 in the lower parts of the vineyard

Vinification: Direct press then fermented and aged in old 225 liter barrels with no topping up, so flor occurs for some period during the ageing. Bottled in April 2022.

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2021 UBE Miralflores

Soil: Albariza from 5 different plots, both in Miraflores Alta and Miralflores Baja.
Grape: Palomino Fino
Appellation: Vino de Mesa
Age of Vines: Planted 1950

Vinification: Direct press then fermented and aged in old 225 liter barrels with no topping up, so flor occurs for some period during the ageing. Bottled in April 2022.

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2021 El Reventón

Soil: Albariza from a single vineyard in the center of El Reventón Grande.
Grape: Palomino Fino
Appellation: Vino de Mesa
Age of Vines: Planted 1950

Vinification: Direct press then fermented and aged in old 225 liter barrels with no topping up,
so flor occurs for some period during the ageing. Bottled in April 2022.

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2018, 2019 UBE Maina

Soil: Laminated albariza in pago Maina.
Grape: Palomino Fino
Appellation: Vino de Mesa
Age of Vines: Planted in 1960:s

Vinification: Direct press then fermented and aged in old 225 liter barrels with no topping up, so flor occurs for some period during the ageing. Bottled in September the year following harvest.

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2018, 2019 UBE Carrascal

Soil: Albariza from the coolest area in Jerez, Las Vegas vineyard in Pago Carrascal.
Grape: Three different clones of Palomino: Jerez, Fino and Peluson
Appellation: Vino de Mesa
Age of Vines: Planted 1903

Vinification: Direct press then fermented and aged in old 225 liter barrels with no topping up, so flor occurs for some period during the ageing. Bottled in April the year following harvest.

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2019 Agostado Cortado

Soil: Albariza, Miraflores Alta
Grape: Palomino Fino
Appellation: Vino de Mesa
Age of Vines: Planted in 1950
Yields: 30 hl/ha

Vinification: Direct press then fermented and aged in old 225 liter barrels with no topping up. For this specific barrel, flor occurred in the beginning but faded quickly, so it became a Palo Cortado instead of going in to the blend of UBE Miraflores. Bottled in October 2022.

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2020, 2021 Pandorga Tintilla de Rota

Soil: Albariza
Grape: Tintilla de Rota
Appellation: Vino de Mesa
Age of Vines: Planted 1960

Vinification: After harvest the grapes was left on trays in the sun to dry out and concentrate the sugars for 7 days. Pressed and fermented in one old 125 liter old bota (Spanish oak barrel) followed by continuous ageing on the lees in the same barrel until bottling in the last week of October the year following harvest.

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2021 Pandorga Pedro Ximenez