Viña Callejuela
José “Pepe” Blanco and his brother Francisco “Paco” Blanco started the Callejuela winery with their father and “dos botas viejas” in the year 1980 within the family home in town, where their offices still remain. They were OG Almacenistas making base wine from their own Palomino vineyards that they sold to the local bodegas of Sanlúcar.
Throughout decades, their father Francisco Blanco became a prominent local viticulturist who increased his hectares by slowly buying small parcels throughout the Marco de Jerez, all within three very important pagos: Añina, Marcharnudo and Callejuela.
The Blanco family philosophy has always been to carefully orchestrate a later harvest, beginning around the 2 of September, while many of their neighbors start around the 14th or 15th of August. This enables them to pick grapes with higher brix, needing less degrees of alcohol dilution when fortifying with the grape spirts used to make Manzanillas and Sherries. Also, and maybe most importantly, they strive to maintain the purest Palomino grape expression as possible, and the longer the hang time on vine, the more influence of the albariza soil is transmitted. Here, their thirsty roots can often stretch down 6-7 meters in search of the retained moistures captured below the dry, hot albariza crusted land.
Early on, the Blancos began to barter a portion of their coveted mosto each harvest in exchange for used botas from their winery clients, rather than be compensated in their normal peseta per kilo rate. Like this, bota por bota, they slowly built the family’s various soleras –reaching nearly 750 botas in use today.
In 1998 they created the brand Viña Callejuela, and in 2015 they expanded the brand by releasing their Blanquito Manzanilla Pasada, La Casilla Amontillado y El Cerro Oloroso, their extensively aged generoso wines, as well as single vineyard, single vintage, "vinos estáticos" Manzanillas.
Today they hold a class of their own as an 100% estate bottled, grower Sherry. They also make single vineyard, single vintage, non-fortified Palomino wines that naturally form clouds of flor at 12%-13.5%, that they refer to as, “vinos tranquilos”.
La Casilla Amontillado
The grapes are sourced from all of three vineyard sites and blended for press, fermented in stainless steel and then fortified to 15% before entering into the Solera system to age as a Manzanilla. After more than 7 years aging biologically under flor, the flor loses vigor and dissipates as the wines begins its journey to Amontillado. This wine is then aged oxidatively for an additional average age of 20 years. Amontillado of the most pristine kind. Traditional notes of almonds and walnut skin but with a citrus blast and floral lantana like elegance that perfumes the salty toasted notes of dark Cocoa and coffee beans. Incredibly dry, this elegant wine has endless layers and should be consumed over the course of weeks. $80
Manzanilla Orígen Callejuela
The Manzanilla comes from 3 different terroirs: 30% Macharnudo, 50% Añina and 20% Callejuela approximately, with different subtypes of albariza soils. The harvest is delayed as long as possible, resulting in a well-structured, full-bodied wine that can stand the undressing that happens during the biological ageing period. It is fermented in stainless steel and once fortified, the wine ages in butts with less headspace than usual, but the level inside the barrels is gradually lowered as the wine moves to subsequent criaderas.Made in a perfectly classical, methodical style, it is aged for 4-5 years and bottled four times a year. With a very bright profile, full of saline notes, citrus acidity and lovely notes of white flowers. Hints of stone fruits in the background. Moderate yeasty notes with bitter nuts and Mediterranean herbs in the finish. It’s a really elegant Manzanilla. $48
Blanco de Hornillos
Made from un-fortified Palomino must ‘vino de pasto’ from all three vineyard sites (Macharnudo, Añina, Sanlúcar de Barrameda). The harvest is done before those of the fortified wines and pressed more delicately than those that will be fortified. This blend is produced from the second grape selections from each pago and are co-fermented in stainless steel, and aged for an additional 5 months on lees. A glass of sunshine with notes of pineapple rind, sunscreen, sea foam and subtle hints of marzipan on the pallet. There is richness in fruit with an Albariza edge pungency that enhances the region’s umami fame. Crunchy concentrations of aloe and hints of macadamia, this young sipper is all the flavor of Sanlúcar with white wine weight. The perfect seaside sipper. $22