NV Cesar Florido - Chipiona Cruz del Mar Fino Sherry HALF BOTTLE (375ml)

Bodegas César Florido was founded in 1887 in Chipiona, a coastal town along the Atlantic between Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Rota, and is still run today by César Florido, the fifth generation of the family to lead the winery. It stands as the oldest bodega in Chipiona and one of only two in town still operating independently of the local cooperative. While Chipiona is best known for growing Moscatel, most of which is sold in bulk to the larger houses of Jerez, César Florido is unusual in pressing its own base wine from estate-grown Palomino Fino and bottling under its own label.

Cruz del Mar Fino is made entirely from Palomino grapes farmed in the Balbaína and Miraflores vineyards, using native-yeast fermentation in traditional cement vats before the wine is fortified to about 15 percent alcohol. Because the bodega sits only about fifty meters from the ocean, its cellar maintains a thick, continuous layer of flor year-round, and the wine ages biologically under that veil for roughly three years. It is bottled en rama, unfined and unfiltered, straight from the cask.

This Fino is pale and bone dry, with a bright, refreshing character and a touch of earthy, saline complexity from its maritime aging. The palate is light and elegant, finishing clean and long. Serve it well chilled with olives, almonds, Iberian ham, or fresh seafood such as oysters or anchovies.