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Bodegas Tío Pepe has recently presented its new Finos Palmas 2014 Collection: a series of elegant, sharp, charismatic fino wines that have marked "The Ages of Tío Pepe" in their evolution. After a mild summer, dominated by the Atlantic west winds, the in-cellar selection of Finos Palmas was carried out. Antonio Flores, oenologist and master blender at Bodegas Tío Pepe, preselected those barrels in which a strong fino character has emerged thanks to the force of the flor –the natural yeast-like growth that helps protect the wine.
After the classification in the wineries, chalks and venencias –the implements used for pulling sherry samples from the barrels– were the stars at the crucial tasting. In this edition, the final selection of barrels was made by Jaime Goode, an internationally renowned wine blogger, who accompanied Antonio in his unceasing come and go down the centuries-old La Constancia, La Cuadrada and La Reservada wineries, always seeking the best Finos Palmas wines.
Una Palma
A Tío Pepe that has undergone a prolonged ageing process under the veil of the flor yeast, Fino Uno Palma is the result of an in-cellar selection from 3 different 500-litre barrels, in search of the typical fino character.
Dos Palmas
Fino Dos Palmas represents a living wine at its finest. It is the fruit of the fino contained in two 500-litre barrels after a long biological ageing.
Tres Palmas
After long years of ageing, Fino Tres Palmas retains the best of the Tío Pepe style and character. The selection of only one 500-litre barrel, this amontillado carries the flor characteristics to the limit.
Cuatro Palmas
Tío Pepe taken to the extreme, here only the steward’s chalk can mark the chosen barrel. The fruit of a single barrel, finesse and elegance are the essence of this very old amontillado.
What are Palmas?
Palmas are designations that –as defined by Manuel María González-Gordon in the book "Jerez-Xerez-Sherry"– are applied to those fino sherry wines particularly distinguished for their cleanliness, fineness and delicacy in their aroma, the number of palms being proportional to their degree of ageing".
This is the best definition to describe this type of wines, whose making process had become virtually obsolete until recovered by González Byass for its Palmas Collection. It is the result of an arduous task of selecting and classifying the best fino wines according to their finesse and ageing time.