Valdespino

The José Estévez Group of bodegas is one of the key players in the sector. Its focus is decidedly aimed at the soil, the origin of the wines which gives them their caracter and identity. The firm owns 800 hectares of vineyard making it the largest grower of grapes in the Sherry región - and indeed in Andalucía - accounting for 12% of the total in the DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry.

The firm is the proprietor of the bodegas Valdespino, Marqués del Real Tesoro and La Guita, all established well over a century ago. Thanks to this firm focus on the soils of the Jerez región, José Estévez is the only bodega in the región which uses raw materials which come 100% from the Denominación de Origen Sherry and Manzanilla de Sanlúcar, that is to say grapes and alcohol for the fortification of the Sherries.

The Pago Macharnudo. All the Valdespino grapes come from the pago Macharnudo Alto which lies some 5 kilometres north east of Jerez, in the heart of the district, in the privileged zone of Jerez Superior, orientated south west. Valdespino alone owns 56.2 hectares of which 15 hectares are pruned to vara y pulgar and the rest to double cordon.

Rainfall in the Sherry region is high in comparative terms with an average of around 600 litres a year which is higher than the average for other important wine regions. This rainfall is typically concentrated between the end of the harvest and and the start of grape formation on the vines and is stored in the depths of the albariza soils allowing a regulated water supply via the roots to the plants themselves.

Added to that the mild climate, in which the high summer temperaturas are alleviated by dewfall from Atlantic mists, favours both a balanced ripening of the fruit and the formation and maintenance of the amazing flor yeast which covers the surface of Fino and Manzanilla making these wines unique.

The “albariza”, thanks to its high content of calcium carbonate, its clay-like texture, doesn´t crack. Soft when the weather is wet, it forms hard lumps when it is dry.  When it rains, it absorbs the moisture like a sponge. When it dries out again in high temperatures it forms a cap which severely restricts evaporation and under which the water is imprisoned. This reserve of moisture contributes to the development of the vines´roots which penetrate the soil up to a depth of over four metres allowing the plant a wáter supply to meet its needs.

The Pago Macharnudo. All the Valdespino grapes come from the pago Macharnudo Alto which lies some 5 kilometres north east of Jerez, in the heart of the district, in the privileged zone of Jerez Superior, orientated south west. Valdespino alone owns 56.2 hectares of which 15 hectares are pruned to vara y pulgar and the rest to double cordon.

Rainfall in the Sherry region is high in comparative terms with an average of around 600 litres a year which is higher than the average for other important wine regions. This rainfall is typically concentrated between the end of the harvest and and the start of grape formation on the vines and is stored in the depths of the albariza soils allowing a regulated water supply via the roots to the plants themselves. Added to that the mild climate, in which the high summer temperaturas are alleviated by dewfall from Atlantic mists, favours both a balanced ripening of the fruit and the formation and maintenance of the amazing flor yeast which covers the surface of Fino and Manzanilla making these wines unique.

The “albariza”, thanks to its high content of calcium carbonate, its clay-like texture, doesn´t crack. Soft when the weather is wet, it forms hard lumps when it is dry. When it rains, it absorbs the moisture like a sponge. When it dries out again in high temperatures it forms a cap which severely restricts evaporation and under which the water is imprisoned. This reserve of moisture contributes to the development of the vines´roots which penetrate the soil up to a depth of over four metres allowing the plant a wáter supply to meet its needs.

The Winery

Valdespino is one of the oldest bodegas in the Sherry región and its first commercial activities can be found in books dating back to the year 1430. In 1875 the firm was made into a limited company, remaining in family hands until 1999 when it was acquired by the José Estévez Group.

Valdespino represents the perfect harmony between the artisan production of Sherry and the most modern and sensitive technical advances, the clearest examples being their single vineyard wines.

Thanks to its long history of quality, Valdespino is an international benchmark in the ageing of Sherry which is characterised by its use of tradititional methods in all the production processes of its Sherry. So much so that the wines are still fermented in old, well seasoned American oak butts of 500 litres while the norm nowadays is fermenting in stainless steel tanks.