Jerez, Gobernador Oloroso Seco, Bodegas Emilio Hidalgo
About Producer
Bodegas Emilio Hidalgo was founded in 1874 in Jerez de la Frontera and has developed an international reputation for producing elegant, refined sherry with distinctive style. Since its creation, the winery has been located in a typical Andalusian building with thick walls, enormous windows, and high, open beamed ceilings, ideal for the ageing and blending of the wines. Some of the original soleras from the 1860s and 1870s are still in use in the production of a couple of stunningly complex sherries. Today, cousins Juan Manuel, Emilio and Fernando Hidalgo, representing the 5th generation, are in charge. In the great tradition of Jerez, Hidalgo’s winemaker is the capataz of the winery who has to spent long years honing his skills in the winery to produce the house style. The current capataz is Manuel Jesus Nieves who succeeded his father Manuel Nieves who had spent more than 50 years with Hidalgo.
Varietals
100% palomino planted on chalk and sandy soil. Aged for 12 years, 2 years ageing under a layer of flor then another 10 years of oxidative ageing through a solera system.
About Appellation
Located near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Jerez DOP (Denominación de Origen Protegida) has around 7,000ha of vineyards. It's also sometimes called Xérès, the original Phoenician name of the region, or Sherry, the anglicised version. Vines were first planted here by the Phoenicians after they settled in the region around 1100BC, and subsequently developed under the Roman rule of Iberia after 200BC. While wine production continued during the Moorish period for medicinal and trading purposes, the popularity of jerez significantly increased in Europe after Alfonso X of Castile took the city in 1262. Christopher Columbus brought sherry on his second voyage to the New World, and it became very popular in England after Francis Drake brought back a few thousand barrels from his raid on Cádiz in 1587. Among the various types of jerez, Oloroso ('scented' in Spanish) is dry, full-bodied with deep mahogany colour and 17-22% of alcohol content.
Tasting Notes
Intense amber colour, fragrant nose of dried figs, crème brûlée, anise, clove and hazelnut, dense yet smooth mouthfeel with unctuous texture, excellent focus and remarkable purity, oodles of rich flavours of orange peel, ginger, toffee, green tea and bitter almond intertwined with enthralling oxidative notes and sharp acidity, lively iodine undertones carrying through a long, beguiling finish. This is an opulent yet fresh and well-balanced sherry with graceful elegance and captivating complexity, walking a tight rope between purity of flavours and pungent rancio taste. If you are not familiar with Jerez, this is a wonderful place to start. (07/2021)