Ramiro Ibáñez (Bodegas Cota 45) and Willy Pérez are at the vanguard of the current revolution in sherry. Their shared wine making philosophy values ‘place’ over ‘process’ and in coming together to revive the historic M Antonio De la Riva brand, they are releasing some of the most exciting wines in El Marco de Jerez today. Although the project is still in its infancy, the initial tranche of wines includes an excellent fino and a range of superb, very old, oxidative and sweet wines. Their flagship however is the youthful unfortified white wine from the Pago Macharnudo, one of Jerez’s most well regarded terroirs. De La Riva is a winery with the potential to realise and revitalise Jerez’s reputation for producing world class wines.
Willy Perez says, “You need to feel the ocean in a Manzanilla”, and one sip of this wine brings that statement to life. The Palomino grapes were grown just 7km from the coast, on soils that were once under the ocean themselves; rich in limestone and dotted with ancient ocean fossils. The wine is aged in solera (hence being non-vintage), with the barrels only half-filled to allow the classic ‘flor ’layer to form and impart umami, nuttiness to the wines. Saline and intensely flavoured with notes of white blossom, pear, crisp apple, and rich, toasted nuts.
