rienne.wine

Bodega El Maestro Sierra is a Sherry house founded in 1830 by Jose Antionio Sierra in the city of Jerez in Andalusia. He was a master carpenter,  he made and cared for the barrels of the nobel families who had bodegas. He loved vino de Jerez so much that he slowly built up his own bodega. This was something not done by the “common” folks and was greatly frowned upon by the nobility.

The label features a fox being chased by nobel hunters, a tribute to the bodega’s struggle in a business world not set up for the little guy. The winery is now run by Doña Pilar, the widow of the most recent descendent and her daughter. Keeping with her late husbands wishes to see the business continue, she has begun bottling wine from the bodega instead of selling the older treasures of the cellar to larger houses to bottle as special selections. In Jerez when a wine lists an age on the bottle it is the age of the youngest wine in the solera. The 15 year has always been one of my favorite wine, the concentration and intensity is far exceeds the price of the bottle. I consider this to be one of the greatest values in Jerez.

The 15 year Oloroso is rich and nutty, extremely dry with a long salty finish. I enjoy drinking it with blue cheese, grilled meats, liver mousse and roasted game birds.

To my surprise and delight here in Hamburg I have come across a little known American treasure. The delicious wines of Arnot Roberts. When I was buying wine for Terroir in NYC I was lucky if I could get a few bottles a year to put on my list. I was utterly delighted to find them here. I came across the 2012 Syrah at a great little wine bar called Calistoga Wine Tavern. The American owner, Beverly had directly imported them with Hendrik Thoma of Wein am Limit. A boutique import and distribution company based in Hamburg. The production of this California winery is small and the demand is so high within the States it is incredible that any reaches European shores. The winery was started in 2001 by Nathan Lee Roberts and Duncan Arnot Meyers, a couple of friends who grew up in the Napa Valley. These gents find inspiration for balance in the old world, lovers of Chablis, Jura and Austria. They search the back roads and abandoned hills for vineyards that might be to much work for other wine makers. They are happy to explore what non main stream grapes planted years ago can offer an open minded drinker. The wines are always balanced, interesting and hard to find!
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