Calvados, Red, Palomino, Rum

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M. Antonio de la Riva (by Willy Peréz and Ramiro Ibañez)
Manuel Antonio de la Riva founded his Jerez bodega in 1858. Located on the famous Arcos Street in Jerez, La Riva enjoyed great success with wines sourced from Manuel's vineyards in Pago Marcharnudo. More than a century later (after Manuel's death), it was bought by Domecq, who added La Riva to some of their best wines. With the decline and devaluation of Jerez after the 1960s, Domecq slowly began eliminating brands and La Riva ceased to exist; the brand names were sold to Beam International.

Before the end of La Riva, young winemaker Luis Pérez (who later founded Bodegas Luis Pérez) had started working as a winemaker in several of the Domecq subsidiaries: Blázquez, Florido, Hermanos y Sancho and … La Riva! Luis learned the vineyards, practices and wines of the La Riva brands just before they were deleted. With the historical knowledge of Luis to guide them, next generation winemakers Willy Pérez (son of Luis) and Ramiro Ibáñez decided to recuperate the brand and its historical wines before they became entirely forgotten. Willy and Ramiro bought back the rights to the La Riva brands in 2017, and have since negotiated access to some of the famous plots from which they were sourced (and which had since become anonymous fruit sources for un-aspirational Sherries), in Balbaina Alta, and particularly Macharnudo.

M.ANTONIO de la RIVA Macharnudo Palomino de Flor con asoleado

La Riva Macharnudo Blanco recuperates a great wine based in the 'el Majuelo' vineyard (specifically in the tiny sub-vineyard parcela, el notario) within Pago Macharnudo[1]; a historical wine of el Marco de Jerez which disappeared under Domecq in the 1980s. 'El Notario' faces north (just under el Castillo de Majuelo, a castle crowning the pago) at 115m altitude, 18km in from the Atlantic, in a mixed poniente-levante setting. The soils are Tosca cerrada and barajuelas with a high level of diatomaceous fossils promoting great freshness. The fruit (Palomino 84) is hand-picked, with individual bunches selected in repeated passes over 2 months, which gain a degree or so of alcohol from an 8 hour soleo. It's then whole bunch pressed (only half the juice is taken). An ambient spontaneous fermentation in 600l  bota precedes 20 months ageing under a film of flor. 1,500 bottles were filled in May 2019 at 14% abv, 5.5 ta, and neither filtered nor fined. It faithfully reflects the origin and style of the structured white wine elaborated under this brand in the past. THE SPANISH ACQUISTION

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

The 2016 Valpolicella Superiore is intense, with a captivating bouquet that blends cedar shavings, savory herbs and balsamic spices with rum-soaked cherries, sweet lavender and dark chocolate. This sweeps across the palate with silken textures, delivering masses of tart red and black fruits along with hints of espresso bean. Crunchy mineral tones and zesty acidity add dramatic lift. The 2016 tapers off long and staining, sporting a pleasantly bitter tinge of cocoa as grippy tannins resonate. The 2016 is a well-muscled dancer yet still youthfully coiled. (95) ERIC GUIDO

Dense garnet color, full of polished aromas of balsamic, cedar wood, earthy minerality, licorice, leather, restrained bramble fruit and coffee grounds. Dry, full-bodied and velvety on the palate, with lifted acidity and an austere finish. Long, slightly chocolatey aftertaste. (96) JAMES SUCKLING

The new release for 2024, 2016 is a much anticipated vintage from Dal Forno given that the 2017 was released first. But it has needed the extra time in bottle: export manager Marco Pinna explained that production volumes in 2016 were compromised by hailstorms in 2015. This had the result of naturally reducing yields and lending even more concentration than usual to the wine. Darker and richer in aroma compared to the 2017 Valpolicella, it clings on to a nutty, reductive character, with wisps of mint and fenugreek. In the mouth it's fleshy and powerful; less vertical than the 2017. There's a slightly meaty touch to the ripe, concentrated red and black berries, lifted by floral notes of iris and violets as well as crushed rock and exotic spices. Voluptuous black cherry emerges towards the end, but this still feels quite tight and closed; the best is yet to come. (97) DECANTER

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!