1/2 fles Recondita Armonia Fondillón 1987 - Monastrell

Monastrell | SF 'very late bottled' | 'F' genaamd omdat 'Fondillón' niet meer mag | wijngaarden pre phylloxera in de Sierra Salinas | zand terroir | late oogst | gemaakt van ingedroogde druiven | ontsteeld en gekneusd en vergist in een open eikenhout vat met eigen gisten | langzame vergisting van een jaar | solera gestart in 1987 | ligt in een 1300 liter amerikaans eikenhouten vat | wordt bijgevuld wanneer een wijn 10 jaar heeft gerijpt | unieke en een van de weinige 'Fondillón' wijnen geproduceerd | donker | complex | noten | kruiden | specerij | braam | vijg | diep en intens | laaaang | uniek | 

Gutiérrez de la Vega 

Fantastische aanwinst in 2018!  Een bijzonder verhaal uit Alicante. De enige producent in Alicante die wijn nog op de ouderwetse methode wijn maakt. Volgens Felipé Gutierrez de la Vega was Alicante ooit het toonaangevende gebied om zoete wijnen (Fondillón) in Europa (omstreeks 1850). Dit waren onversterkte wijnen met natuurlijk alcohol van richting de 15%. Hij komt niet helemaal op één lijn met de Alicante D.O en besluit in 2010 in samenspraak met zijn dochter Violetta de D.O te verlaten.Violetta is Frankrijk getraind (Sauternes, Ch D'Yquem) en besluit in de laatste jaren de gisting niet te onderbreken door het gebruik van sulfiet maar door de wijnen licht te versterken met alcohol. De droge zomers van de afgelopen jaren zorgen voor een verlies in oogstvolume van wel 25%. Alle druiven worden hier (Monstrell en Moscatell) overrijp geplukt zodat ze aan de druivenstokken in kunnen drogen, een risico dat in droge jaren tot extreem kleine oogsten kan leiden. 

Review

The NV Recondita Armonia Fondillon Solera 1987 is the blend of the different years since he started producing Fondillon in 1987, so we could say this is the real McCoy, a solera started 26 years ago. The wine is stored in a 1,300-liter American oak barrel, to which new wine is added when it has aged for 10 years, and only a small quantity (400 half-liter bottles) is taken out and bottled every year. This is one of the few Fondillon wines produced in Alicante today. Dark mahogany color with an amber edge, the extremely complex nose is redolent of cashews, spices, curry, aromatic herbs, balsamic to the point that it reminded me of an old Barolo Chinato or similar vermouth, full of Mediterranean aromas with ginger, leather and coffee. It’s a heady wine, velvety, warm, and intense, pungent and long, it stays in your mouth for minutes. A truly exceptional, unique wine that should last well. Drink 2013-2025. 96/100 Luis Gutiérrez

The winery, created in 1978 by Felipe Gutierrez de la Vega, a literature and music lover – hence all the artistic references in the names of his wines – is one of the most original throughout Spain, with a wide range of wines. They are located in Parcent, in the Marina subzone of Alicante, very close to the sea, between Benidorm and Denia, where the specialty is Moscatel. The zone is very interesting because the vineyards are located at 700 meters altitude and very close to the sea, which contributes to extra freshness. All their vineyards are dry-farmed and pruned in the old goblet or bush style. They only own two hectares but rent and work a further eight. No external yeasts are used for the fermentations. Daughter Violeta, who studied oenology in Bordeaux, is slowly taking over the winemaking from her father and I have the feeling she’s bringing fresh, new ideas. I know she’s searching for high altitude, almost-forgotten, old-Grenache vineyards to produce some personal wines of her own. There are not that many wineries specializing in sweet wines in Spain; this is one of them, and for me, one of the best. Total production is around 100,000 bottles per year. A (not so new) name to follow, as the new wines show a very promising profile. Other than in Jerez, there are not so many wineries specializing in sweet wines in Spain, but Gutierrez de la Vega is one of them. They have traditionally produced a wide range of wines using Moscatel grapes. All their Moscatels, dry and sweet, share the Casta Diva name, with a subtitle to differentiate them. To complete the range, they are doing some sweet red Fondillon, the traditional rancio wine from Alicante produced in a solera system and aged for a minimum of ten years. Gutierrez de la Vega, of course, does it in his special way, and has released some single-vintage Fondillon, until he had enough old blended wine to start bottling the solera