Bodegas Poniente Fino Sherry
Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Bodegas Poniente rare sherries are named after the cool humid Atlantic westerly Poniente winds. Winemaker Alberto Orte embraces his family’s rich tradition of solera system wines from Montilla-Moriles to create this unparalleled project from Jerez.
Bodegas Poniente stands out among its peers producing complex sherries from treasured soleras from the 18th and 19th centuries artfully blended with organically farmed wines of San Cristóbal, San José y El Aljibe. These estate vineyards are located in Pago Añina, one of only three pago sites designated as Jeréz Superior. Poniente is one of the few bodegas that produces and ages the wine surrounded by the vineyards giving it an authentic sense of place. After blending the wines rest at the historical estate of El Aljibe. Aljibe translates to “well” as the landmark property used to provide water for the surrounding area.
Known more formally as Jerez de la Frontera, Jerez is a city in Andalucía in southwest Spain and the center of the Jerez region and sherry production. Sherry is a mere English corruption of the term Jerez, while in French, Jerez is written, Xérès. Manzanilla is the freshest style of sherry, naturally derived from the seaside town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
Sherry is a fortified wine that comes in many styles from dry to sweet. True Sherry can only be made in Andalucía, Spain where the soil and unique seasonal changes give a particular character to its wines. The process of production—not really the grape—determine the type, though certain types are reserved for certain grapes. Palomino is responsible for most dry styles; Pedro Ximénez and Muscat of Alexandria are used for blending or for sweet styles.