Raúl Moreno La Retahíla 2022

Perruño (an old, neglected Jerez white grape variety) fermented with skins for three weeks and aged under flor in an old amontillado cask. Unique – an example of how Raúl is taking Jerez off in all sorts of exciting new directions. Quince, chamomile and acacia. Subtle and slowly unfolding. 

Hand-harvested Perruño from a 100-year-old vineyard in Trebujena. Fermentation with foot-treaded whole bunches with gentle extraction for three weeks. Pressing in a vertical press. Eighty percent of the must is transferred to amontillado chestnut casks where it ages under a veil of flor for 10 months. The other 20% ages under for in steel tank. Bottled without filtration.

ABV: 11.5%

Organically farmed grapes.
Suitagle for vegetarians and vegans.

Note from Raúl:

"This is the first single-variety Perruño varietal on the market. Perruño was the second most important variety in Jerez prior before the arrival of phylloxera. It's a late-ripening variety (where today Palomino is harvested in August, Perruño is harvested in mid-September) with good acidity. It is thought of as a variety without much personality which needs to be blended with other varieties that complement it. Perruño has very thick skins that make destemming and pressing difficult. Another reason why the variety is not very popular. What most people don't know is that the skins, if worked with the must, give a structure and aromatic complexity that no other variety from the Jerez region has.

"Aromatically, La Retahíla has more in common with a Pinot Gris or an Alsatian Riesling than a white variety from the south of Spain. It is a very complex wine, with a fruit profile of orange peel, nectarines and apricots, complemented by almonds, honey and exotic spices.":